Weekend storm causes tornado and boat fire in the Wilmington area
A tornado touched down and a boat caught fire in the Wilmington area on Sunday, March 16, as a result of severe storms.
A line of thunderstorms and high winds, part of severe weather that caused tornadoes and damage in several Southern states, reached the region by late Sunday afternoon.
Lightning strikes sparked a boat fire in Hampstead while a tornado was confirmed Sunday night around Rocky Point.
The Wilmington National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down around Herrings Chapel Road in Rocky Point. As of Monday morning, no injuries were reported.
The boat, a 40-foot center console fishing boat, in the Washington Acres neighborhood caught fire at approximately 10:45 p.m., Pender County's Fire Marshal's Office news release states.
No injuries were reported. However, the boat was a total loss.
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A history of twisters: Tornadoes in North Carolina since 1950
Pender EMS and Fire successfully extinguished the fire, per the news release. Pender County Sheriff's Office, Pender County Emergency Management, North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission and the United States Coast Guard also provided support.
Pender County Fire Marshal's Office investigated the incident.
"Preliminary findings indicate that the fire resulted from a lightning strike, highlighting the potential hazards that severe weather can pose," Pender County's Fire Marshal's Office news release states.
Savanna Tenenoff is a reporter for the StarNews. Reach her at stenenoff@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Tornado confirmed in Pender County, NC, on March 16
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