Fatal tornado hits Hood County, Texas
01:56 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

"The darkness doesn't help," spokesman says

Weather officials say a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado hit Dallas

Watches are in effect for 32 counties

CNN  — 

Possible tornadoes cut a wide swath through north Texas on Wednesday night, killing at least six people and injuring more than 100 others, officials said.

There were “multiple fatalities” in the wake of the storm that touched down in Granbury, said Kathy Jividen, a spokeswoman for the Hood County sheriff’s office.

Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said six people were killed when the powerful storm struck a Habitat for Humanity neighborhood in the area. There were about 120 homes in the neighborhood and most of them were destroyed, Deeds said.

About 100 people were injured, said Matt Zavadsky, a spokesman for MedStar Mobile Healthcare.

He said the tornado touched down several times in Hood, Tarrant, Dallas and Parker counties.

“With these types of tornadoes, they touch down; they lift up; they touch down. They tend to hopscotch,” he said.

“This is truly breaking news, and again the darkness doesn’t help, but the crews on scene are doing a really good job to try and reach out to the folks that might be trapped or unable to get to a shelter or the triage area.”

There were reports of homes in Granbury being flattened with people inside, Hood County Judge Darrell Cockerham said.

Donna Martin, a worker at a local veteran’s organization, said some suffered injures.

“There are a lot of traumatic injuries,” Martin said. “My husband told me that a car was lifted in the air. It just came in and hit so fast”

City officials were sending school buses to affected neighborhoods to help with evacuations.

The National Weather Service warned that a mile-wide tornado reported by spotters had shifted its track and was moving “right at the city of Cleburne,” a community of about 15,000 people in north Texas.

“If you are in its path … take cover immediately to protect your life,” the weather service alert said.

The National Weather Service also said 32 counties in Texas and four in Oklahoma were under a tornado watch until 1 a.m. CT.

Officials hadn’t confirmed that a tornado actually touched down in Dallas but said the storm was capable of producing one.

CNN’s Dave Alsup, Chandler Friedman and Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report