Storm damages Saari farm in Oma

OMA, Wis - While most of the attention following Monday night's storm was on the northern part of Iron County, Jim Saari's farm in Oma also sustained considerable damage.

The Iron County Sheriff's Department received a call shortly before midnight Monday reporting a power line down across U.S. 51 at Saari's property on Lyons Road.

Saari said he was in bed, having just finished watching television for the night, when he heard a loud noise and a bang.

He said he told his wife he thought a tree had fallen onto the house and could see the silhouette of branches through one of the windows.

"Lo and behold, it wasn't just that tree," Saari said.

He called his son, who lives nearby, and it was discovered several trees had actually fallen on the property; smashing a car and damaging a recreational vehicle, the house in several places and destroying the upper floor of the property's 1920s-era barn.

Luckily, Saari said no one was hurt and the farm animals were all recovered, with the last horse being rounded up Tuesday morning.

Saari thinks the damage was caused by a tornado, pointing out the sporadic damage and saying parts of the barn were found as far as a mile from the property.

The National Weather Service in Duluth was unable to confirm a tornado occurred without additional information.