2 boys electrocuted in Texas storms

ByKARMA ALLEN ABCNews logo
Thursday, March 30, 2017

Two children died in Texas on Wednesday after they were electrocuted by power lines downed in a severe overnight storm.

The boys, ages 11 and 12, were brothers, ABC affiliate WFAA reported, citing a first responder on the scene.

The incident happened in a heavily wooded area in East Fort Worth, Texas, according to the report. The area was still recovering from a powerful overnight storm that knocked out power and damaged multiple properties.

"This is never something we want to have to respond to. We can never talk about it enough, the need for safety around downed power lines. We're just starting storm season," Fort Worth Fire Department's Lt. Kyle Falkner told WFAA on Wednesday.

A grass fire had also been ignited as a result of the fallen lines, which were still energized when fire officials arrived on the scene.

Oncor, the local electricity provider in the area, said it was working with authorities to determine the cause of the accident.

"Our thoughts and heartfelt prayers go out to the family," a spokesperson for the company said in a statement Wednesday. "We urge all our customers to treat every power line as if it's energized."

Severe thunderstorms and damaging winds hit parts of Texas overnight, leaving as many as 200,000 people in the Dallas/Fort Worth area without power at one point.

The poor weather shifted east on Wednesday with severe weather warnings spanning from the area surrounding Kansas City, Missouri, to the Gulf Coast.

Worse storms are expected in parts of Mississippi and Tennessee on Thursday.

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