Possible tornado near Petrolia under investigation

Possible tornado in rural area south of Petrolia Residents in parts of Lambton County are picking up the pieces after a possible tornado. CTV London’s Sean Irvine checks out the damage.

Environment Canada is investigating reports of a possible tornado in the Petrolia, Ont. area as area residents survey the damage and begin the clean-up.

A barn was blown over on Rokeby Line and there have been reports of structure damage to homes and other outbuildings.

Residents in the area report that the damaging weather hit at round 4:40 p.m. Wednesday.

Judy Krall had just checked a weather app when she looked out her window and saw what she believed was a twister.

"I looked up...in my bay window...and there it was right in front us. It was turning. It sounded just like a train coming through."

She immediately headed to the basement with her husband and grandchildren.

Her husband, Doug Krall, says the boys were scared when they heard the loud noises coming from outside.

Once he was able to go back outside he noticed a play structure - that was cemented to the ground - had been ripped away. But that was only the beginning.

A barn door was blown at least 40 metres away, but the worst damage was to a large service barn where an entire wall was knocked down.

Doug says a structural expert who inspected the barn on Thursday told him the building has shifted leaving the potential it will need to come down.

To the west of the Krall home, an entire barn did come down. The older structure collapsed on both sides.

In another area further east along Rokeby Line, George Britney was busy cleaning up at his son's property.

He says the storm was likely more than just a thunderstorm, "Pretty black looking, pretty ugly."

There a door was blown off a barn and a portion of the roof tossed about 20 metres. Power lines were also knocked down and a TV antenna was toppled and twisted.

Hydro crews were dealing with power outages well into the night following the line of storms that passed through.

So far no injuries have been reported.

Researchers from Western University, in partnership with Environment Canada, were expected to begin looking into whether or not a tornado hit on Thursday.

But residents along Rokeby Line have no doubt, as Doug says, it was far more than a "big wind storm."

- With files from CTV London's Justin Zadorsky.