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A tornado over Aurora, Colo., was one of five to touch down in the state yesterday. (Julie Patterson/Associated Press) |
Five twisters touch down in Colorado
Associated Press
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June 8, 2009
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AURORA, Colo. - At least five tornadoes touched down in Colorado on Sunday, with one overturning benches and a car outside a mall in a Denver suburb.
There were no immediate reports of serious injuries. Firefighters reported moderate damage and gas leaks at Southlands Mall, which was forced to close.
The National Weather Service said the tornado that damaged the mall touched down south of Buckley Air Force Base just before 2 p.m. and may have been on the ground for about 30 minutes, taking an 8- to 10-mile path across southeast Aurora.
Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning units on the mall's roof were damaged. Joyce Rocha-Brown, mall spokeswoman, said damage was being assessed and no decision had been made on when the building might reopen.
Julie Patterson, 36, could see the tornado from the back deck of her house in Aurora.
"You could see the debris flying in the funnel cloud," she said.
Many locations in the Denver area also were pelted with hail as big as baseballs. The Weather Service received reports of hail as big as 3 inches in Arapahoe County, meteorologist Robert Koopmeiners said.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
