Large maple tree struck by lightning falls on 2 Toronto homes

Toronto Fire Service says a large maple tree that was struck by lightning during Thursday evening’s storm collapsed onto two homes.

A spokesperson for Toronto Fire said the tree had collapsed onto two homes on Jane Street, just north of Bloor Street, at around 6:56 p.m.

A shed and a garage were affected by the tree collapse, the fire official said.

Paramedics told Global News they responded to the scene and assessed four people.

Two of them were treated for minor injuries on site and released while two others were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning for a large swath of southern Ontario, including Toronto, on Thursday. Some areas of southern Ontario were also temporarily under a tornado warning.

Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell said a system coming in from the western Great Lakes was expected to pack “a bit of a punch” and all of the ingredients were in place for heavy rain, big lightning, damaging winds, large hail and potentially even tornadoes.

Meanwhile, fire officials said city engineers have been contacted to assess the structure of the homes.