COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Blue Ridge during Monday night's storm.
According to the NWS, the tornado produced estimated winds of 100 mph.
Officials in Blue Ridge on Tuesday morning confirmed several downed trees and damage to metal buildings and roofs. At least two buildings lost a roof, including the town fire department's administration building.
The NWS also reported at least one home lost a roof to winds and at least one structure has partially collapsed in Blue Ridge at the intersection of FM 545 and Church Street.
WFAA's Malini Basu and Ariel Plasencia were in Blue Ridge Tuesday, where they found the fire department torn apart.
Officials told Basu that six firefighters were inside the department watching TV when the roof ripped off.
The firefighters continued to work through the night and helped families in their community despite the storm's damage to the station.
“It just started raining really heavy. It got really loud and that's when the roof was blown off,” said Blue Ridge FD Capt. Bonnie Bowers.
Bowers said she and other firefighters were keeping an eye on the storm from their administration building.
The storm was so powerful, it ripped the roof off the administration building and tossed part of it across the street.
Sections of the ceiling collapsed. Rain started gushing in.
“That (tornado) part happened really fast. It came out of nowhere and it was gone in no time," said Bowers.
Bowers said they didn’t have much time to think about what had just happened.
“Then you're worried about, okay, if this is happening here, what's going on out there (in the community) and what do we need to do?” said Bowers.
Bowers told WFAA thankfully, there have been no reports of injuries to Blue Ridge residents.
Now, the clean-up process begins. Bowers said computers, a printer, and a copy machine were damaged.
"We're an all-volunteer department. We depend on donations for everything we get. So, that's going to be the hard part is actually getting back to where we were. We've worked really hard to get to this point. So, it's just rebuilding from now on out," said Bowers.
If you’d like to donate to the Blue Ridge Fire Department, click here.
A car wash was also damaged in Blue Ridge, Basu reported.
Collin County officials also announced State Highway 78 and Williford Road were closed Monday night in both directions due to high waters.
As of April 5, Collin County officials reported zero storm-related injuries or casualties.
The First Baptist Church Blue Ridge established a benevolence fund to assist families with immediate needs, according to county officials. Financial donations can be made through the church’s website, FirstBlueRidge.org or by texting TORNADORELIEF to 888-411-3304. People can also mail donations to FBC Blue Ridge, located at 316 Highway 78 N, Blue Ridge, TX 75424.
The church is not accepting donations of physical goods, such as clothes or blankets.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management is asking residents to report damages from the April 4 storms, for both insured and uninsured property. Residents can report damages online here.