Rush Hour Storm Damages Golden Valley Homes
Monday’s severe thunderstorm dumped more than five inches of rain on Maple Grove, flooded streets in Robbinsdale, and sparked a fire that damaged homes in Golden Valley. Pictures posted on social media told the story of the heavy downpours, double rainbows, and interesting looking clouds that came afterwards.
The National Weather Service says the highest amount of rainfall for the Twin Cities fell in Maple Grove. That city had more than five inches of rain.
The storm also kept first responders busy. The Golden Valley Fire Department says they responded to four fire events that were caused by downed trees falling on power lines. Three of the fire events were trees that caught on fire.
“We had a house fire last night and there was severe damage to the exterior of the home,” said Golden Valley fire chief John Crelly. “The fire also got into the home causing moderate damage to the structure.”
Only one person lived at a home on Valders Avenue and they were not home when it caught on fire. Because of the damage, the person cannot live in the home.
However, the house next door had damage too. The fire damaged the roof and garage of the house.
“The lights kind of dimmed a little bit,” remembers Paul Westerlund, who lives in the house. “About 20 minutes later the power came back on and the television came back on. Someone has hammering at my door saying ‘Paul get out, your house is on fire.”
No one was injured in the fire and there’s no word on the cost of the damage.
