Beaufort family displaced by storm; trees, power lines down

A Beaufort family has been displaced from its home after a tree ripped through the living room during a frenzied storm Friday evening.

There were no serious injuries to report as emergency personnel responded to numerous calls ranging from downed power lines and trees to brush fires.

A large oak tree fell on the family’s home on Tekoa Lane in Beaufort, forcing two adults and three children into the care of the American Red Cross, Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Chief Reece Bertholf said. A tree also fell on the roof of Port Royal Elementary School, he said.

The extent of the school’s damage is unknown.

Bertholf said firefighters received 24 calls from the storm in about an hour.

The Lady’s Island-St. Helena Fire District responded to a tree down on a home on Lucy Creek Drive, a car crash, two brush fires and numerous calls of trees and power lines down, spokesman Scott Harris said. He noted that traffic lights are out throughout the Beaufort area and that drivers should avoid the roads.

A tree fell on a home in Grays Hill, and the two people inside were able to escape, Burton Fire District spokesman Dan Byrne said. A tree also fell on an empty car in Shell Point and there were other calls of power lines and wires down.

This story was originally published June 17, 2016 at 8:22 PM with the headline "Beaufort family displaced by storm; trees, power lines down."