Fewer than 100 Etobicoke customers left without power after storm leaves 'significant damage'

Fewer than 100 Etobicoke customers remain without power after a storm brought heavy rain and strong winds to Toronto on Thursday evening.

Toronto Hydro said it was responding to "a number of outages" at around 7 p.m.due falling tree limbs bringing down power lines.

About 1,000 customers were affected, the city-owned utility said.

Beth File was working from home when the rain started. As the storm picked up, she said she took cover in her basement. She was worried, images of the July tornado that cut a destructive swath through Barrie fresh in her mind.

"I thought it was a tornado," File said, "I thought the roof was going to go, I was pretty scared."

The storm was so powerful that one tree lifted up part of the street and a driveway when it toppled over. Several houses sustained damage, and city officials worked throughout the night to attempt to repair the damage and restore power.

Toronto Hydro issued an update Thursday night saying it was continuing to work on restoring electricity to customers, but " the damage from this evening's storm requires complex, lengthy repairs." By Friday morning, the utility said it had made significant progress but five streets remain without power, impacting less than 100 people.

Most of the affected properties were located in and around the boundaries of Evans Road, Lakeshore, Browns Line and Etobicoke Creek.

The utility said customers without electricity should "expect to be without power into the morning."

Toronto Hydro spokesperson Cindy Brooks said there had been "significant damage with trees downed."

"We do have a number of crews onsite and extra forestry support to help us assess the damage," she said.

The utility is urging people who come across downed wire to stay at least 10 metres away and report them to Toronto Hydro at 416-542-8000.