"Everything went dark:" Waukesha Co. fairgoers sought shelter in buildings as storms pushed through

WAUKESHA COUNTY -- Storms passing through the Waukesha County Fairgrounds Thursday, July 21st forced officials to urge fairgoers to seek shelter in buildings -- on opening night of the fair.

FOX6's Ben Handelman at the fairgrounds Thursday evening, posted the following tweet on Twitter:

Sirens were sounding in Waukesha County Thursday evening as a result of high wind:



"I was more concerned about the heat than the rain. Then they hustled us down this way," said Trisha Sacharski.

The normal sounds of the Waukesha County Fair were replaced with sirens.

"In a matter of minutes, everything just went dark," said a fairgoer.

Police cleared the grounds and everyone was asked to move to safety.

"This is the only sturdy building here," said a fairgoer.

Many used the Waukesha County Expo Center as a temporary shelter as high winds, rain and lightning arrived outside.

Inside, Sacharski is making the best of it.

"We thought we'd see Skid Row... and we'd thought we'd have a little picnic and play games," said Sacharski.

Their night wasn't ruined -- and they were happy to be safe.

In Waukesha County, there were reports of downed trees and power lines.

On the fairgrounds, there were no tents that were blown over. Besides some signs and trash cans, everything stayed in place.

Meanwhile, there was damage reported in the Beaver Dam area -- specifically branches and power lines down.

Storms passed through beginning at about 5:30 p.m. in Beaver Dam.

Officials with the Beaver Dam Fire Department say the storms took down power lines, trees, cable lines and telephone lines -- and some fell on commercial buildings, homes and vehicles in the city. Some cars were totaled.

It is not believed anyone was hurt.

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