Barns have been demolished and some homes have suffered substantial damage after a tornado struck the Town of New Tecumseth late Tuesday afternoon.

Environment Canada confirmed that an EF1 tornado hit the ground in the Tottenham area of the Simcoe County town, near 15th Sideroad and 4th Line. Winds were initially reported to be between 135 to 175 km/h.

OPP Const. Peter Leon says that both homes and barns in the area have been damaged. A horse barn was hit, and veterinarians are on the scene to assist with any injuries the horses sustained.

“I’m not sure to the extent that any horses were injured,” Const. Leon told the Star. “I believe some horses were in the barn and I’m not sure if they were able to get out before the storm hit.”

He adds that one home in particular had the garage almost completely destroyed, and the back of the house was beaten up as well.

New Tecumseth Mayor Mike MacEachern did a tour of the damage late Tuesday night, CP24 reports.

“When you see the extent of the damage, you’re just thankful that no one was injured,” he told CP24, adding that he heard a horse had been injured during the storm.

MacEachern adds that he expects the community to rally behind those affected by the tornado.

“I think we’ve seen it in this area in the last few weeks,” he told CP24. “The community comes together. That’s the hallmark of New Tecumseth and the rural area here – we get behind one another and we’re there to help one another.”

Hydro lines and trees were also down after the storm, says Const. Leon.

Hydro One spokeswoman Marylena Stea told the Star that there were only four broken poles down in the New Tecumseth area, affecting about 12 customers.

“I was expecting more to be honest,” she said. “But it looks like damage to the Hydro One system was very minimal.”

This is the second Tuesday in a row a tornado has struck in southern Ontario.

An EF2 tornado destroyed around 100 homes in Angus, approximately 20 km north of New Tecumseth, on June 17.

No one was seriously injured in the Angus tornado, but around 300 people were left homeless in the aftermath of the storm.

“This is not as severe as damage that occurred last week in Angus,” Const. Leon said of the New Tecumseth tornado. “But there is certainly some very severe damage here as well. Thankfully, again, I don’t think we’ve had anybody sustain any injuries.”

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Environment Canada told the Star investigators will return to the area Wednesday to reassess the extent of the tornado’s damage.

More to come.