Storm Collapses Tents at Oklahoma Oktoberfest Injuring at Least 30 People

OKLAHOMA CITY – More than 30 people were hurt and more than two dozen mobile homes and travel trailers were damaged as severe thunderstorms raked across Oklahoma on Wednesday, authorities said.

At least 30 people were injured when a strong storm moved through the Tulsa area, causing two tents to collapse during an Oktoberfest festival just before 7:30 p.m.

"There was some sort of tornado or microburst that picked up at least one of the tents and it collapsed on a large group of people," said Tulsa police Sgt. Michael Brown.

Brown said there were about 30 injuries reported, but more people left on their own to seek treatment.

"Of these, it looks like five were treated and released, 24 were transported and one was transported in critical condition," Brown said.

North of Tulsa, five people were injured and 25 mobile homes and travel trailers were damaged when a storm hit a mobile home park between Oologah and the Washington County line, the Oologah-Talala Emergency Medical Services District reported.

Four of the injured were in a mobile home that was destroyed, and the fifth was a woman who was hit by debris, officials said. None of the injuries was believed to be life threatening, officials said.

Bob Anderson, Rogers County Emergency Management director, said besides the mobile home that was destroyed, a smaller trailer was rolled over. The other units at the park appeared to have been damaged, but officials wouldn't know the extent until daylight, Anderson said.

There also were reports of crews trying to rescue people trapped between downed power lines in Woodall in Cherokee County, authorities said. Semi trucks were blown over on U.S. 69 in Pryor and at the toll gate on the Muskogee Turnpike near Coweta, according to reports.

Downed trees and power lines also were reported in Rogers and Mayes counties, authorities said.

The storms also knocked out electric power to 1,564 Oklahoma Gas and Electric customers in northeastern Oklahoma and more than 3,700 in western Arkansas, according to OG&E's Web site.

The storms were part of a powerful, spring-like system that brought heavy rain, high winds, hail and a possible tornado to Oklahoma.

Storm spotters in Kingfisher County, northwest of Oklahoma City, reported seeing a tornado touch down about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday about a mile west of Kingfisher, Emergency Management Director Steve Loftis said. No damage was reported, Loftis said.

"An 86-mph wind gust came through about 8:15 this morning," he said. "And we had some localized street flooding — just the same streets that always flood when it rains. As of 2 p.m., we had close to 2.2 inches of rain."

The weather service has not confirmed the tornado.

Other high-wind reports included a 73-mph gust at Weatherford and a 62-mph gust in west Tulsa, according to the weather service.