Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Paul Amos, right, and his son, Tim, 17, stand next to a large tree that fell into their house along Adelaide Avenue NE during Saturday’s storm. Amos said it sounded like an explosion when the tree came crashing down. No one was injured.

For the second consecutive Saturday, strong storms and winds ripped through the Mahoning Valley about 1 p.m., downing trees and power lines, and causing widespread power outages, as well as the death of a teenager in Leavittsburg.

According to the Warren Township Police Department, the incident occurred in the 300 block of Park Road when a tree crashed down on the southeast corner of the home, where the 13-year-old boy was sitting on the couch.

Extensive damage to the home was described by police Chief Benjamin Harrell as being “unsafe” and has left the residents displaced. Harrell said the police department already has offered to to provide medical and counseling services for the family.

He estimated about four people were in the home, including the victim, but all the other family members escaped without injury.

A pastor from the family’s church on Pendleton Road arrived at the home to meet with family after the accident, Harrell said.

Outage maps from FirstEnergy showed that in Mahoning County, 16,889 residents were still without power as of 9 p.m. Saturday, with most of them in Austintown, Beaver and Boardman townships. In Trumbull County, the outage numbers were at 22,626 as of 9 p.m. Saturday, with most of them in Liberty, Hubbard and Warren. In Columbiana County, the latest outage numbers showed 6,090 still in the dark.

One Warren resident, Timothy Amos, heard what he described as “the sound of a bomb going off” after a tree collapsed on his family’s home in the 500 block of Adelaide Avenue NE. Amos said the tree collapsed about two rooms over from where he was in his bedroom. The tree fell on his brother’s bedroom just above the family dinning room where his mother, father and pets were at the time.

“Initially I thought it was just thunder, but the sound got louder and louder,” Amos said. “I heard yelling and screaming, which freaked me out because we thought it was a tornado.”

He said the family rushed into the basement as high winds continued blowing through the area.

The National Weather Service in Cleveland reported wind gusts as high as 38 mph.

Afterward, Amos said there was “major damage” to the entire top back corner of the home.

An outpouring of community members and family already have offered their homes to Amos, his brother and parents as they begin working on their next steps. In the aftermath, Amos said his father is looking to have the home assessed by their insurance company and a cleanining company will be at the home today to start the cleanup process.

MAHONING COUNTY

In North Jackson, a fire was reported around 1:50 p.m. at the Jackson Township Fire Department, according to Jackson fire Chief Mike Mortimer.

A cause of the fire is being investigated by the state fire marshal, acoording to Mortimer but he said it’s possible the fire was caused by a power generator.

Phones were ringing nonstop for Austintown Fire Department, according to Chief Andrew Frost.

Seven trucks were deployed throughout the township with only two reserve trucks left at the station.

Downed trees blocked thoroughfares, including South Turner Road. Power was out throughout the township, including at the Austintown Plaza, where workers gathered about 1:30 p.m. on the sidewalk in front of their dark stores.

Boardman fire Chief Mark Pitzer said they had gotten about 15 to 20 calls on Saturday with reports of wires being down, outages and homes struck by trees.

Pitzer has cautioned residents of the township to stay clear of picking up debris near the area of fallen trees for fear of them being near wires that are either energized or have the potential to be.

“If there’s trees down, we urge residents to not touch them. It’s possible cable wires could be crossed with a power line, which could become active, which then becomes a hazard,” Pitzer said.

Echoing those sentiments, Youngstown fire Chief Barry Finley also warned against engaging with electrical wires and instead is telling residents to contact the fire department for assessment.

“When a wire is down and you don’t see it, it could still mean that a wire can be a mile down the road and if it’s touching a fence and you touch that fence you will get shocked or even worse, electrocuted,” Finley said. “The main thing for the public is that if you’re driving and see caution tape, respect the tape and do not cross it.”

With nine trucks out around Youngstown and two major storms, Finley described these occurrences as taxing on firefighters.

“Our fuel cost goes up because we’re out all night. Most of our guys will be out for hours, haven’t eaten and, on top of that, fighting structure fires while fatigued is difficult, but this is what we’re trained for,” Finley said.

The entire city of Campbell was without power starting about 1 p.m. Traffic lights were out at major intersections, including 12th Street at McCartney Road, and businesses in the former Lincoln Knolls Plaza were closed because of outages. Power was restored about 8:30 p.m.