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Woman dies after tree falls on vehicle in Gem County

Two women were camping when the storm hit the area Tuesday night. They sought refuge in a vehicle.

BOISE, Idaho —

Editor's note: The car pictured in the above video was damaged in the storm in the same area, but was not the car involving the two women referenced in this story.

One woman is dead and another seriously injured after a tree fell on their vehicle while camping in Gem County Tuesday night.

According to the Gem County Dispatch, the two women were at the Antelope Campground near Sage Hen Reservoir when the storm blew through, toppling several trees in the area. They sought refuge in a vehicle.

Authorities said the upper part of a tree fell on the vehicle. 

One woman died at the scene, while the other was flown by air ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment. Officials have not released her condition.

Dispatch said the names of the two women are not being released at this time

At a nearby campsite, Brandon Akers and his family were wrapping up their camp trip. Akers told KTVB that they make the trip to unplug twice a month and haven't seen anything like Tuesday night's storm.

"Within a few moments we went from baking hot and sunshine to this massive storm that came in," Akers said. "You could see the dust building almost like a front. Moving like a really fast cloud. It was just a wall. It hit incredibly fast. Almost like a dust storm."

RELATED: High winds down limbs, cause damage across Treasure Valley

Akers and his family fled to the nearby docks, a clear area with fewer nearby trees.

"My first thought was safety. Get them out of the way in case another tree went down. You could hear them snapping all across the forest and crashing." Akers said. "People are more important than property. Leave the camper. Leave the car. Just get out of the way."

According to Quincy Chung, a district fire management officer with the Boise National Forest, it is important to check the weather before you go camping to know what you are dealing with.

Crews are working to clear the roads and damage. The Forest Service is assessing the area.

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