WASHINGTON — Jennifer Karacki didn't hear a loud bang, but more of a creaking noise.
By the time she stepped outside her home after checking on her two young children, she found a large tree uprooted in her backyard.
"I didn't know it was that big," Karacki said. "My children were upstairs in the bedroom that was adjacent to this tree. I just feel very lucky that my kids didn't get hurt."
However, the tree that fell from Karacki's property crashed on top of a neighbor's home. Fire crews had to rescue the neighbor who was trapped in the debris. He was sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The family's neighbor, who didn't want her identity revealed, told WUSA9 they first heard his wife calling for help. She said they heard noises but before they could process it, they received the tornado warning alert on their phone.
"They got the warning and they heard something and they ran in but he didn't make it in, that is what we understood happened," she said. "It was terrifying because life is very precious, and it was really scary to see your neighbor in a crisis situation."
The neighbor said she called 911 while her husband's son tried to help, but the damage was too extensive. First responders arrived and pulled him out of the front porch area.
A damage assessment official with the Inspection Services Division said the house is considered unsafe so the family must stay elsewhere until the damage is repaired. Once the house is fixed, the family will still go through the process of permitting an inspection to make sure it's safe.
The strong storms that rolled through Northern Virginia on Thursday night packed such a big punch, they helped spark 16 fires and downed 12 wires, according to the Arlington Fire & EMS.
The National Weather Service confirmed late Friday that an F1 tornado touched down in Arlington, starting in the Cherrydale neighborhood and ending 4.4 miles away near the intersection of 16th Street NW and Constitution Avenue, NW, near the White House. Winds reached 90 mph. A second tornado, an F0, touched down in NE, D.C., only traveling .75 miles.
RELATED: 2 tornadoes hit DC, NWS says
As of Friday morning, close to 6,300 customers were without power. Dominion Energy said they have beefed up personnel to help with restoration. Most customers should have their power restored by 11 p.m. on Friday.
Across the river, the powerful storms downed trees, toppled toilets and flipped fences set up for Fourth of July festivities in D.C. Despite the damage, the event will go on.