Ambulances and fire trucks line up along the west side of the Amazon Fulfillment Center warehouse on South Gateway Commerce Center Drive in Edwardsville late Friday night following the collapse of an estimated three-fourths of the building with employees inside. A tornado is suspected to have caused the brick slab walls and a roof of about 100 yards long to collapse. Edwardsville activated a mass casualty incident after finding numerous employees injured, trapped and at least one reported fatality. Fire crews were called in from across the region including heavy rescue units from the city of St. Louis.

EDWARDSVILLE – Daytime temps in the mid-60s with a strong, southerly wind led to a rash of thunderstorms Friday night, mainly moving from southwest to northeast. Two separate waves lashed the St. Louis Metropolitan Area with high winds, small hail and heavy rains.

A tornado formed in northeastern Franklin County during the 7 p.m. hour and headed east-northeast, just missing the National Weather Service Office in St. Charles and skirting north of the Daniel Boone Bridge that links St. Charles and St. Louis counties with Interstate 64. The twister then skipped through southeastern St. Charles County and hopped the Missouri River into St. Louis County and then retreated to the clouds before coming back down on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River during the eight o’clock hour. This tornado is suspected of causing at least 20 vehicles to get sprayed with debris on the Boone Bridge, it may have caused building collapses in Defiance, Missouri and it is getting the blame for partially collapsing a wall and a corner of the roof at an Amazon Fulfillment Center warehouse in Edwardsville between 8:15 and 8:45 p.m. Early reports indicate 50 to 100 people have been initially trapped at the site. Metro East first responders arrived swiftly to help and St. Louis County is reported to be assembling a task force to offer assistance to the damaged facility, too. A second, smaller line of rain and wind blew through St. Louis County before 10 p.m. then exited, leaving behind quiet. A cold front will pull through the area overnight, pushing all of the turbulent weather east of our area. 

Charles Bolinger covers Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Edwardsville Township and the Collinsville School District for The Edwardsville Intelligencer. A graduate of Webster University in St. Louis, he has been writing for the paper since 2018.