Two people were extricated from a church van in Tampa Heights on Wednesday night after an enormous tree crushed it during a severe thunderstorm that plowed through Hillsborough County.
Tampa Fire Rescue crews, responding to the church at 2747 N Florida Ave. around 7:36 p.m., found three people trapped in the van, said Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman Jason Penny. One person had made it out safely before crews arrived.
Rescuers extricated one person from the van, who was not injured, Penny said. Two others, who were able to escape on their own, were transported to St. Joseph's Hospital with minor injuries.
Gusts around 50 mph accompanied the storm as it swept through Hillsborough County. The highest recorded gust hit 52 mph at Peter O. Knight Airport around 7:15 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. A few minutes later, forecasters said, gusts around 46 mph were recorded at Port Tampa Bay.
The severe weather isn't expected to return Thursday, though. Isolated afternoon showers may still produce some heavy rain at times, forecasters said, but overall chances remain low at 20 percent.