Thousands Lose Power As Strong Winds Spread Damage Across Several Towns

BOSTON (CBS) - Nearly 50,000 homes and businesses lost electricity overnight as wind gusts topped 60 miles per hour in several towns across Massachusetts. The power outages were down to about 3,500 by Tuesday night.

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Provincetown had the strongest gust at 76 mph. Peak wind gusts hit 62 mph in Worcester and in nearby Westborough a gust around 57 mph brought a large tree down onto a house and garage on Birch Road.

Homeowner Julie Basque said it happened around 10 p.m. Monday.

"We're in bed but it's really windy, so it's scary. It sounds like it's really bad windy. Then we heard a big crash and then sort of the house shook. That's when I knew something hit the house but you couldn't tell where. Then this neighbor, he's a great neighbor Kyle, he could see how bad it was so he came to the front door, wanted to know if we were OK and then he just said 'it's bad," she said.

The fire department told Basque and her neighbor they needed to evacuate.

"We're OK and we'll get through this," Basque told WBZ-TV. She said she feels lucky no one was hurt and that the damage isn't even worse.

In Roxbury, a giant piece of scaffolding was blown off a building on Alphonsus Street, scattering debris into a backyard and pool. What's left of it was being held up by a tree.

"We have approximately 200-to-250 foot by 7 stories tall scaffolding that was dislodged because of the wind, collapsed and it's leaning up against this building," Boston Fire District Chief Pat Nichols told reporters. "It's very fortunate nobody was hurt. It could have been a lot worse if there was anybody around, including construction people that might have been working in and around that building."

In Salem, Deputy Fire Chief John Payne said the wind was "the factor" in a fire overnight at a multi-family home off Broadway. The bitter cold was also an issue for firefighters, but no one was hurt.

In Wellesley, winds snapped a massive tree in half, taking out part of the roof and back deck of a home on Francis Road.

"When it's your own personal house, it's tough," said Mark Coppi of Wellesley. "There were some pretty strong winds that came in last night. It was shaking the house, it was shaking everything."