Injuries, damage cancel Tattoo

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio (WDTN) - Sixteen people were injured as Friday’s severe storms swept across the Tattoo area at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

It came through fast and furious.

"It was like black as night outside and it was lightning and thundering and then it just started pouring down rain, stuff was flying everywhere,"' explains Leslie Keopka.

The show did not go on as storms struck the Freedom Call's Tattoo at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Friday.

"When we first got up here, it was like 100 degrees outside. It was hot and we were all sweating and then the dark clouds started rolling in.  As you can see, we packed everything away as best as we could but we just had to give it up and get in the truck," says Keopka.

Sixteen people were injured, six were taken to the hospital, ten were treated at the scene, according to the fire chief.

"All of them have very minor injuries or it was something associated with a pre-existing condition," comments Wright-Patterson Fire Chief Jacob King.

And he says they were prepared for something like this.

"We started implementing some of our contingency plans that we had talked about earlier in the week, about when we get the winds at certain speeds, this is what we do. As you can see behind me, we had very high speed winds and we still have a stage. So, that is a key element, although it is leaning," explains King.

But without those plans in place, the fire chief says there could've been a much different outcome.

"This could've been a terrible event.  If you look at when straight line winds hit Indy, The State Fair in Indianapolis, how many injuries and deaths did they see from there? Several. Right, several deaths and hundreds of injuries," says King.

The fireworks that were supposed to be set off after the show, were actually set off during the daylight as a safety precaution.