NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Authorities say the suspected tornado near Birmingham, Alabama, has crumpled businesses and injured one person in the western suburb of Fairfield.
A liquor store and a fast-food restaurant were among the damaged businesses in that community, according to meteorologist Jason Holmes of the National Weather Service. Broadcast news footage showed siding ripped away from one store, debris flung all around.
Dean Argo, a spokesman for the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board said one employee of the liquor store was hurt. He did not elaborate.
The meteorologist Holmes also told The Associated Press that trees were down and buildings were reported damaged along the Interstate 20 corridor on the western outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama’s most populous city.
The weather service had issued tornado warnings earlier for the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa areas, and Gov. Kay Ivey had urged state residents to be alert for dangerous weather.
