MAGNOLIA, Texas — A teen worker was killed Tuesday afternoon when a severe thunderstorm caused two houses under construction in Magnolia to collapse, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said.
First responders worked all afternoon to shore up the site to reach the trapped worker. The Magnolia Fire Department later confirmed that the worker, a 16-year-old boy, didn't survive and his body had been recovered.
The sheriff's office said around 12:25 p.m., workers noticed the house, located on Willow Heights Lane near FM 1488, began to shift during the storm and all but one person was able to exit before it collapsed.
When first responders got there, they found the trapped teen.
The sheriff's office said the teen was confirmed to be an employee of the construction company and was authorized to be on site.
One of the victim's co-workers told us he thought it was a tornado that caused the homes to collapse.
"Like a little tornado and we heard a lot of noises, like strong noises," Christian Hernandez told us.
He said they tried to call their missing co-worker a few times and they could hear his phone ringing but he didn't answer.
The Magnolia Fire Department said a specialized team of experts worked for hours to shore up and brace a partially collapsed house to keep it in place as they tried to reach the worker trapped under the other house.
"They had to take steps to secure and make sure it didn't it didn't fully collapse on our first responders," MFD Captain Brian Perry told us.
"They build braces to brace between the concrete slab and the buildings that are leaning, that are partially collapsed," Magnolia Fire Chief Adam Vulgamott explained.
Firefighters from The Woodlands, Conroe and North Montgomery County joined the effort along with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the Montgomery County Hospital District.
The storms also caused hail and high winds in Harris County.
Another round of thunderstorms is expected late Tuesday into early Wednesday.