What appears to be the tail end of a funnel cloud was spotted about three kilometres north of Ardtrea, Ont. (Submitted by Chris Haycox)At least five people were reportedly injured when what Environment Canada suspects was a tornado ripped through a trailer park in Midland, Ont., causing extensive damage.

Trailers were piled up at Smith's Trailer Park near King Street and Highway 12, and the area was sealed off over fears of a potential gas leak, CBC's Dave Seglins reported from the scene.

"I swear today I was about 10 feet from death," said Ian Ferguson, who was in his trailer when the storm hit.

In an interview with CBC News, Ferguson said he was sitting in his room when the wind started picking up. He said it sounded like a freight train was coming.

He went to close the windows, then decided to head to the tub in the bathroom, which he thought would be the safest place, he said.

"All of a sudden, whomp, and then it was still and quiet, and then you open the door and saw nothing but sticks and the sky and where there was a room, there was nothing but rubble."

Ferguson's deck was gone and a room attached to his trailer had been torn off, he said.

Some people in the trailer park were wandering around dazed, and some were running around to see if everybody was out of their trailers, he said.

One man had a broken leg, and a woman whose trailer had tipped over while she was inside had a cut on her face, Ferguson said.

Jackie McLauchlin, a spokeswoman for Georgian Bay General Hospital, told the Barrie Examiner there were no deaths or serious injuries.

"We've now run the gamut [of injuries]," she said. "Nobody is critical."

But McLauchlin said the hospital was in "code orange," meaning additional staff were working.

Midland is about 140 kilometres north of Toronto.

Environment Canada had issued a tornado warning for the area, and people in and around Midland reported seeing a huge funnel cloud and circling swaths of debris in the dark sky.

Provincial police said numerous roads in the area were closed because of downed trees and power lines.

Hydro One said 8,500 customers in the area were without power and service crews were on the scene.

The Ontario government issued a red alert for a region of the province bounded by Penatanguishine in the north, Barrie in the south, Collingwood in the west and Orillia in the east.

A truck was flipped over when a suspected tornado touched down in Midland, Ont. (Dave Seglins/CBC)

The red alert requires everyone in the area, including motorists and boaters, to go indoors immediately and seek shelter.

James Downer, the mayor of Midland, also declared a state of emergency, telling the Barrie Examiner that the damage was "severe" in the whole south end.

Seglins said the storm cut a large swath of destruction right across King Street in Midland, taking out roofs, smashing windows, destroying cars and knocking out power for most of the area.

Environment Canada said radar indicated a severe storm had likely produced a tornado in the area and that there have also been reports of funnel clouds spotted near Orillia, Ont.

The weather agency had also issued a tornado watch for Windsor and areas including Leamington and Essex County.

With files from The Canadian Press