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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Applications for marijuana dispensaries increase ... Saved by the Pit Crew ... Our View: Campaign money train has left the station ... Applications for marijuana dispensaries increase ... Saved by the Pit Crew ... Our View: Campaign money train has left the station ... Deadly storm: Winds brought heavy damage across region Comment By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 11, 2014 at 7:36 AM Updated Dec 12, 2014 at 9:29 AM By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 11, 2014 at 7:36 AM Updated Dec 12, 2014 at 9:29 AM » RELATED CONTENT 'A real disaster' --> Melissa Buchanan said it sounded like a bomb. The Medford resident had just returned to her Inverness Drive home after dropping off her eldest son at school for an early morning field ... » Read more X 'A real disaster' Melissa Buchanan said it sounded like a bomb. The Medford resident had just returned to her Inverness Drive home after dropping off her eldest son at school for an early morning field trip at 5:30 a.m. Thursday. About 10 minutes after she arrived, a fierce gust of wind pushed a 60-foot pine tree over onto her roof. "It was massive," Buchanan said. "It was like the whole house shook, like a bomb went off." She went outside to find the tree blocking her garage so she couldn't get to work. The toppled tree was just one of many reports of mayhem around the Rogue Valley Thursday morning, following the arrival of a storm that brought 45 mph wind gusts and more than an inch of rain to parts of Jackson County. Buchanan said no windows broke during the impact and that the damage appeared to be isolated to the exterior. "All you can see out the front door is pine tree," Buchanan said. A few miles away, employees at Economy Plywood, 6142 Crater Lake Ave., came to work to find the roof ripped off of the business's main building and one of the smaller buildings collapsed. "There is just debris everywhere," office manager Jean Heyden said. "We've got metal roofing all over the drive." The business was closed temporarily while repairs were made. "There's been stuff blowing around ever since we've been here," Heyden said. "It's just been a real disaster." Up the road in Gold Hill, winds pushed a tree into a power line, causing a pole to fall onto the roof of a home, touching off a fire. The fire at 5932 Highway 234 was reported at 6:08 a.m., according to dispatch records from Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon. Capt. Mike Calhoun of Jackson County Fire District No. 3 said a passing motorist spotted fire and smoke pouring off the home. Crews responded and found the home awash in flames. "It was completely involved upon arrival," Calhoun said. Eleven engines responded to the scene, with firefighters from District 3, Medford Fire-Rescue and Jackson County Fire District No. 4 out of Shady Cove. The home's owners are out of town, officials said. No animals were injured in the fire. Officials said there was never any danger of flames spreading to other homes. Sherman Simmons, whose family built the house back in the early 1960s, said he awoke Thursday morning to see the lights of responding emergency vehicles. Then he saw the fire. He had moved back to an area near the home two years ago after semi-retiring from teaching just outside Seattle. "A lot of memories there. It's family history," Simmons said. "We did the finish work on that house. We did it all. "It was a beautiful wood. My God, what a loss." Crews had the fire extinguished by 8 a.m. Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil. • From social media: the Rogue Valley storm • Dec. 11 storm gallery • Rogue Valley Storm » Social News Wind gusts of 45 mph wreaked havoc on the Rogue Valley early Thursday, blowing the roof off one Medford business, knocking out power to 16,000 residents and felling dozens of trees — including one that killed a homeless man while he slept in a tent near Mount Ashland. Philip Crosby, 40, formerly of Sunny Valley, was camping with his 18-year-old son in a tent on the Pacific Crest Trail about a mile from the Mt. Ashland Ski Area lodge when a tree fell on the tent at about 5:30 a.m., striking Crosby in the arm and chest, according to Jackson County sheriff's Lt. Marty Clark. Crosby's son, Alexander, called 911 and told responders the tree was about 20 feet tall and 8 to 10 inches in diameter. The father complained of difficulty breathing, and when crews from Ashland Fire-Rescue, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the sheriff's department arrived at the campsite, the father was dead, Clark said. The Crosbys were en route to Arizona, sheriff's officials said. Alexander Crosby was taken to the Maslow Project, a Medford nonprofit that helps homeless youth. Relatives who live out of state were coming to get him, officials said. Falling trees caused problems throughout the region, striking homes and power lines that started at least two fires, officials said. The storm dumped more than an inch of rain in Jacksonville by about 7 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Medford. About half an inch to an inch of rain fell in Ashland, one-fifth of an inch in Medford, and about four-tenths of an inch in Eagle Point over 24 hours. Wind gusts hit about 45 mph in Medford and Ashland, with sustained speeds of 20 to 25 mph, weather officials said. The storm knocked out electricity for nearly 16,000 Pacific Power customers Thursday morning in Ashland, Central Point, Eagle Point, Medford, Talent and White City. That number had dropped to 3,044 customers by late Thursday. Pacific Power said on its website that the hardest hit areas in Southern Oregon were Riddle, Canyonville, Ashland, Central Point, Eagle Point, Medford, Cave Junction and Talent. The outages closed Eagle Point schools for the day and caused a two-hour delay for schools in Ashland. Numerous downed power lines were reported. Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon's Twitter account showed emergency crews responded to 21 power line-related problems between 5 a.m. and noon. The Oregon Department of Transportation reported a fallen tree blocked both lanes of Highway 66 near the Greensprings Inn, three miles west of Pinehurst, for several hours. ODOT spokesman Gary Leaming said winds also pushed a commercial truck over as it drove at 7 a.m. on Highway 140 near Meridian Road. The vehicle crashed into another commercial truck. The National Weather Service was one of the entities affected by the power outages. Meteorologists said their building was running on generator power for about an hour. ODOT officials said their White City facility was also running on generator power for a short time. All airline flights between San Francisco and Medford were canceled at the Medford airport Thursday morning. In Ashland, city officials said high winds caused a "significant amount" of damage, blowing down dozens of trees and filling roadways with debris that also clogged storm drains. Some trees fell on parked cars or blocked roadways, according to Ann Seltzer, the city's management analyst. The wind also blew off a small section of roof on a city-owned barn, she said in a release. Meteorologists said there is a chance for additional thunderstorms Friday, but that the worst has likely moved on. Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 11, 2014 at 7:36 AM Updated Dec 12, 2014 at 9:29 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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