10-year-old missing in Brenham floods as severe thunderstorms move across Texas
Floodwaters swept away a 10-year-old girl in Brenham, Texas, as severe thunderstorms moved across the region on Monday, May 5, 2025. Lightning strikes set multiple structures on fire, including in Colleyville where a house was destroyed.
Scene of the search and rescue operation for the missing girl in Brenham, Texas, on May 5, 2025. Imager credit: Brenham Fire Department
A 10-year-old girl was swept away by floodwaters in Brenham, Texas, on Monday, May 5, as a line of severe thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall to the region.
The Brenham Fire Department said swift water rescue teams were dispatched on Monday afternoon to an area near Fireman’s Park after reports that a child had been swept away by rapidly rising floodwaters.
At least 14 agencies, including Texas Task Force 1 and local teams from Washington County, searched for the missing child throughout the day and into the night.
Water-based rescue operations were suspended at 22:00 local time (LT) as thunderstorms returned to the area. Land-based search efforts continued overnight using thermal imaging drones and search-and-rescue dogs.
Water-based rescue operations resumed at 06:00 LT on Tuesday, May 6, but the child remained missing at the time of the latest update.
Severe weather triggered multiple structure fires across Texas due to lightning strikes. In Frisco, two neighboring houses on Moonseed Rd. were struck by lightning, causing significant damage to both. Additionally, in Colleyville, a house on the 2500 block of Twelve Oaks Lane caught fire after being struck by lightning on Monday. Fire crews responded promptly and extinguished the blaze.
A nearby home’s security camera captured the moment the lightning struck the house:
@peytonyager Peyton I have video of the Colleyville house fire lightning strike if you guys want to use this. Happened across the street from me pic.twitter.com/lRi20MMVdH
— Pete Paredez (@peteip74) May 5, 2025
The lightning struck the second floor of the house, where the children’s bedrooms were located. The impact ignited a fire that produced a large plume of smoke. All six members of the household were unharmed but displaced by the fire.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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