LENA, ILLINOIS — A tornado touched down Friday afternoon in Lena, Illinois, prompting the Stephenson County Sheriff's Office to close the town to traffic and direct residents to shelter in place. No deaths or serious injuries were reported, the sheriff's office said.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Lena, located about 48 miles west of Rockford and roughly 120 miles west of Chicago, at 4:45 p.m. CT. Radio traffic from public safety officials in Stephenson County indicated the weather service contacted them about a tornado just west of Lena that it described as extremely dangerous. Video from a livestream in Lena showed a rotating storm descending on the town, which was part of a storm system moving toward Chicago.

Part of the roof came off Lena High School and the elementary school also sustained damage, according to radio traffic from public safety officials. Students were inside both buildings when the storm hit, the radio traffic said, and no injuries were reported among them as they were kept safe inside while the storm passed. Photos from the town showed trees snapped by high winds and blocking roads.

The Stephenson County Sheriff's Office posted on social media asking people to avoid going to Lena. "There is no way to get into town due to trees and wires down," the office said.

At 6:20 p.m. CT, the sheriff's office posted that Lena was "Shut down" as a second round of storms approached. "There will be NO traffic in or out of town per Sheriff Stovall until further notice. Emergency Services are assisting with storm damage," the post said.

Sheriff Steve Stovall addressed the response in a statement. "We are extremely fortunate that this storm did not result in loss of life or serious injury. Our focus remains on ensuring the safety of our residents, securing the affected areas, and supporting the Village of Lena as recovery efforts move forward," Stovall said.

The Village of Lena Police Department issued an urgent public safety alert on Facebook as another storm approached. "Another storm is moving toward our area. We're already dealing with damage from the earlier tornado, and conditions could get worse quickly. Take shelter now," the department said. It also warned residents to stay away from damaged areas: "Do not go out to look at damage. Stay off the roads. Our crews are out working, and we need the roads clear so they can do their jobs safely."