High winds topple trees, poles, and crush Massachusetts man's car

CBS News

08-03-2025

Communities across Massachusetts and New Hampshire saw downed power lines, fallen trees, and other damage in Friday's high winds.
Crews worked as quickly as possible to get power back and to restring potentially dangerous power lines.
"There's all kinds of danger; people could be walking on them, driving over them, and they're energized. Right now, what we're working on is de-energizing," Reading Municipal Light worker Phillip Lafleur said.
Branches from trees that were in good condition were strewn everywhere. Sarah Winkle was grateful the tree fell the way it did.
"It was laying on everything; it brought all the cables to the ground," Lafleur said.
"There was this thump, and even the cats reacted like, 'what was that?'" Wilmington homeowner Sarah Winkle said. "We were saying that couldn't have fallen any better way, 'cause it could have fallen back on the house."
A tree also fell in Beverly, but it did not fall in the right direction for Anthony Damasceno. The tree crushed his Toyota Cross outside of his home, causing damage to the roof. Damsceno is on family vacation and found out about the damage from his neighbor.
"If I'm being honest, it's not even being frustrated or anything; it's just annoyed 'cause we made sure everything was good and all that stuff, make sure that nothing is in the way for people to park on the street," Damasceno said.
It could be slow driving in parts of Massachusetts as winds continue to take down power lines and trees.
100 mph wind gusts on Mount Washington
On Mount Washington, crews were literally blown away as they tried to fix equipment. Wind gusts reached 100 mph, which caused the workers to slide down a slope. Video shows them crawling back up the slope against the wind.
High winds cause damage across Massachusetts
Hudson firefighters warned the public of high winds on Facebook, reminding the public to secure outdoor items, stay indoors to avoid hazards, to avoid driving though the high winds and to report downed power lines, posting photos of a tree that had fallen on a truck in the downtown.
In Saugus, Route 1 South was closed at Walnut Street as telephones leaned into the roadway. National Grid and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation responded to the scene.
In New Boston, New Hampshire, the fire department's utility truck was hit by a falling tree while responding to reports of a tree down with wires in the town. The driver of the truck was injured but able to call for medical aid. He was taken to the hospital, but there is no information about his condition.
In Fitchburg, wind gusts knocked the statue off the city's Spanish Memorial Monument in Moran Square. Police, Fire, Parks, and Public Works departments transported the statue to the Department of Public Works for storage. The bronze statue, which was 9' tall, stood on the monument since 1924. Fitchburg Mayor Sam Saqailia said the securing pins between the statue and pedestal had deteriorated, contributing to the problem.
Several towns also suffered power outages as trees downed power lines. Lexington reported Spring Street was closed between Hudson Road and Underwood Avenue. Meanwhile West Street was completely closed at Hall Street.
In Fairhaven, a tree was downed across Linden Avenue, falling across multiple vehicles. Fairhaven Police posted the pictures to Facebook, warning residents to be careful because "Mother Nature can be a fickle beast." Meanwhile, it Bridgewater, wind gusts were strong enough to know over street lamps in the community's downtown.
In Hopkington, a tree was knocked onto The Sanctuary at Woodville, a Christian church and ministry. The tree crashed through the roof, landing inside the building and causing extensive damage.
National Grid said it is responding across the state to restore power and repair power lines damaged by the high winds. However, the company said workers cannot work in bucket trucks in high winds due to safety issues.
"We have crews and personnel responding to the impacts from today's high winds," said Shaun Vacher, Vice President of Electric Operations, New England. "Our crews and support teams will be working for as long as needed to restore service as quickly and safely as conditions allow."