STOUGHTON, Wisconsin (AP) -- The sky ''just exploded'' as a tornado killed one person and injured several others.
Harold Orlofske, 54, apparently died of injuries sustained during the collapse of his home north of Stoughton when the twister touched down Thursday evening, Dane County Coroner John Stanley said.
At least five other people were hospitalized, state emergency management spokeswoman Lori Getter said.
Fifteen homes were leveled and 30 others had moderate to severe damage in Stoughton.
The storms also caused extensive damage in the village of Viola, in southwestern Wisconsin. Three people there were hospitalized and about 70 to 80 homes were damaged, Getter said.
''There's houses half gone. All the trees in town are gone,'' said Bill Bender, owner of the Viola Quick Stop. ''There was stuff flying by the building, like big chunks.''
Governor Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency Friday in Dane and Richland counties, the two hardest hit by Thursday's storms. The order directs state agencies to help local governments in cleaning up.
The National Weather Service is investigating reports of 18 possible tornadoes around the state, spokesman Greg Davis said.
A witness captured the tornado on his camera phone.
''The sky just exploded. It was debris everywhere,'' said David Murray, 43. ''When it went across the road and it hit all the houses over there ... it was something you can't explain.''
Murray said he was going from Stoughton to his home nearby ''and, bam, it was there, and it grew and it grew.'' He and others helped tend to the injured.
Lenny Peaslee, executive chef at the Stoughton Country Club, said the twister tore the roof off as about 40 people took refuge in the basement.
''We were ... hiding behind the bar,'' he said. ''We had beer, anyway.''
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