Storm batters Atlanta

A severe storm ripped through downtown Atlanta on Friday night, injuring several people and damaging skyscrapers, hotels and two major sports arenas that were filled with thousands of pro and college basketball fans.

National Weather Service officials called the storm a possible tornado; winds were clocked at up to 60 mph.

Most of the damage was concentrated downtown, Police Department spokesman Ronald Campbell said. He said authorities blocked off roads around the CNN Center, where debris filled the streets. A chair from the skyscraper’s lobby sat in the middle of the street, flanked by cars crushed by fallen debris.

A firefighter outside the skyscraper said three people -- including a child with head injuries -- had been transported to hospitals. He said none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

Capt. Bill May said the Fire Department was working “multiple incidents” from East Atlanta to downtown. He said part of a loft apartment building had collapsed, but he did not know if there were any injuries.

May said a vacant building also collapsed, with no apparent injuries. He said seven to 10 people had been taken to the hospital.

On its website, CNN said the roof of its headquarters building sustained damage, allowing water to pour into the atrium, and windows had shattered in the CNN.com newsroom and the company’s library. It also said Centennial Olympic Park was severely damaged.

At the Georgia Dome, where Mississippi State was playing the University of Alabama in a Southeastern Conference Tournament basketball game, catwalks swayed and insulation fell from the roof, sending fans fleeing toward the exits and the teams to their locker rooms.

The game resumed after a delay of about an hour, but the Georgia-Kentucky game that was to have followed was postponed. SEC officials were considering a scenario that would make up the quarterfinal Saturday morning, with the winner returning later in the day to play in the semifinals.

“I thought it was a tornado or a terrorist attack,” said Mississippi State guard Ben Hansbrough, who was guarding Alabama’s Mykal Riley when a rumbling was heard from above.

Players from both teams stopped and looked toward the Teflon-coated Fiberglas fabric roof, which is designed to flex slightly during high wind, but was heavily rippling in the storm, much like waves rolling toward the shore. Those who remained in their seats looked anxiously toward the roof.

The game was stopped with Mississippi State leading 64-61 with 2:11 left in overtime.

Several people reported that metal bolts and washers fell from the ceiling, though there were no immediate reports of injuries. A pipe ripped a hole in the roof.

There was also damage at nearby Philips Arena, where the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks were playing the Los Angeles Clippers

Georgia Power Co. spokeswoman Consuela Monroe said about 10,000 customers had lost power in the Atlanta area.