STORM DAMAGES HISTORIC MONTGOMERY FAIRGROUNDS
Enon received brunt of damage, but fairgrounds hit too.
Storms ripped through the Miami Valley area Wednesday evening, bringing especial damage to Enon and the Montgomery County Fairgrounds historic grandstand.
Enon may have been the hardest hit area in the region, according to initial reports. Mad River/ Enon Fire Chief Tracy Young said that emergency units were dispatched throughout the area Wednesday night, and more crews were called in to help.
“We are dealing with several trees and power lines down,” he said, reciting the damage. “A couple of structures that’s been damaged and some that have been demolished.”
The Montgomery County Fairgrounds historic grandstand sustained damage in Wednesday night’s storm. Viewed from South Main Street, it appears a large chunk of the grandstand’s south facade ripped from the building.
Greg Wallace, the fair’s executive director, said staff will assess the damage this morning. The 2017 fair is expected to be held at the historic location before moving to Jefferson Twp. for 2018. The University of Dayton and Premier Health are currently under agreement to purchase the Dayton property.
About 4,000 Dayton Power & Light customers in Montgomery County and another 500 in Greene County were without power when the storms ended. Duke Energy reported more than 2,000 customers without power in the Cincinnati area, and another 3,000 First Energy customers lost power in Clark and Champaign counties.
Pea-sized hail pounded the downtown Dayton area just after 6:30 p.m. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base briefly issued a tornado warning at 6:54 p.m., a spokeswoman said. The all-clear was issued around 7:05 p.m.
The Cincinnati Reds delayed their game against the Philadelphia Phillies. It started around 8 p.m.
Showers are expected for the first part of Thursday, but as the cold air filters in, that rain will likely change to snow during the evening. A little snow is expected early Friday, though conditions should dry into the afternoon.