Ross Township Daycare Evacuated After Tree Brings Down Live Wires

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Dozens of little kids evacuated a daycare in Ross Township after part of a tree broke off and brought down live wires.

Storms sheared a tree branch in half, ripping down live wires. The aftermath forced the Hiland Childcare Center to evacuate, but no one got injured.

"Smoke, crackling, fire, things like that. So my program director Annie Miller got the kids and got them all out of the building," said Evelyn Ruck, the executive director at Hiland Children's Center. "This is where we come and this is why we practice fire drills. We came up to the church and got shelter inside and called 911."

Ruck said they heard the snap and looked out the window to see only smoke. They weren't sure if the building was on fire. It was actually the live wires making contact with the grass.

"We have around 35 children right now from 6 weeks up to 12 years of age, so we have even little ones that we gather up. We know what to do and bring them to a place of safety to make sure everyone is safe and sound," said Ruck.

First responders from Ross Police, Ross and West View EMS and Perrysville Volunteer Fire Department came out to block off the area, and make sure the fire in the grass didn't spread.

Ruck says she's grateful for the parents who came on such short notice to pick up their children and she's thankful no one got hurt. Neighbors say this isn't the first time that storms brought down the trees and wires in the area, so they hope that the utility company will cut them back for good.

The branch came down as the area saw several Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Tuesday afternoon. They've since all expired.

We have a warm and unstable air mass in place. Highs yesterday hit 90 degrees, making it the third 90-degree day of the year. To our northwest is an upper low that is slowly moving to the east. We also have strong winds in the mid-levels and dynamics of the atmosphere indicate strong wind gusts will be possible. This set-up remains in place through the rest of the workweek.

As the upper low gets closer through Friday, our rain chances will tick up. Storm chances will also be on the rise. At this point, we are already listed as having a marginal risk of severe storms through Thursday. Friday will also likely be a severe storm day.

Rain and storm chances will also likely keep us out of the 90s for highs for the rest of the week.

Looking ahead, the weekend is looking dry with highs in the mid to low 80s.