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Some things just can't be explained, but something happened in West Valley City just before 6 p.m. The damage is there, but what caused it is a mystery.
Residents say a burst of wind literally peeled back the roof on an apartment building near 3000 West and 3400 South.
Dennis Matthews, who manages the apartment building and lives in the complex can't explain. He said, "I just happened to walk to my window, and when I looked out, everything went black. There was a tremendous amount of wind."
When the wind passed, it left destruction. "It seemed like something just came out of the sky, lifted the roof up," Matthews said. It also toppled a wooden fence that was under repair.
"I thought a tornado hit. I've been in tornadoes before, and it gave me the same impression," Matthews said.
Anthony Grow was in his apartment watching TV when he felt shaking. He compared it to another act of Mother Nature: "I thought it was an earthquake, but when I saw all that wind and debris, I didn't know what it was. It did a toll on my heart, I guess you can say. It made me jump pretty good."
It lasted only about five seconds, and as strong as it was, Grow's wife barely woke up, and his three kids slept through it. No one was hurt, but it rattled some nerves. "It's just crazy. I don't know, I'm still a little shaken up by it."
He may never know what it was. Dennis Matthews is happy to leave it at this: "One of the weird things that happens in June."
Nothing else in the neighborhood appears to be damaged. No one is allowed back into the building until the roof and other damages are repaired. That will likely be next week.
E-mail: syi@ksl.com
