Meteorologist Rick Smith in Norman said the suspected twister hit El Reno on Saturday night as a powerful storm system rolled through the state. Smith says crews will assess the damage on Sunday to determine the severity.
The American Budget Value Inn was destroyed by the storm. Images at the scene showed emergency crews sifting through the rubble after part of the motel's second story collapsed into a pile of debris strewn about the first floor and parking lot.
Trailers at a mobile home park adjacent to the motel were also damaged, as was part of a nearby car dealership.
Elsewhere, overturned cars and twisted metal could be seen briefly as intermittent lightning flashed across the sky and the wailing sirens of approaching emergency vehicles could be heard in the distance.
"We have absolutely experienced a traumatic event," El Reno Mayor Matt White said during a news conference early Sunday, AP reported.
"We've had an incident where a tornado has basically hit a mobile home park and a hotel, and some other local businesses."
White said two people were confirmed dead so far and several people had been transported to hospitals in Oklahoma City.
"We're doing a search and rescue right now... we have all hands on deck," he added.