Giant Tree Crashes Onto Home, Displaces 5 Residents
DENVER, Colo. (CBS4) - Five people were displaced from their home when a giant tree came crashing down.
The tree fell onto the three-story rental home on Columbine Street near East Colfax Avenue around 4:30 p.m. Saturday during a storm.
No one was injured, but significant damage to the structure made the house uninhabitable.
The tree that fell grew from a patch of land on the other side of the sidewalk.
On Sunday a danger sign was posted on the front door. The property was fenced off and yellow caution tape surrounded the property.
CBS4's Melissa Garcia spoke with Annie Basile, a resident who was inside the home when she heard a crash.
"I thought that the house was going to collapse because it's pretty old," said Basile.
She was watching TV in her top floor unit when without warning, the tree out front fell onto the home.
"The entire window in the front was on the ground, and there were just bricks everywhere, and I could see the tree coming in through the window," Basile said. "If anybody was in that front area there would have been injuries."
Neighbors and others passing by stopped to look at the damage.
"Oh those poor people," Susan Lasker Hertz said of the displaced residents. "It's tragic and impressive," she said of the huge tree on top of the house.
Residents said that the rotting wood, infested with termites, blew over in the storm.
"The winds blew through pretty strongly, and this is the result," said Lasker Hertz.
"It was an obviously intense fall," said Batya Stepelman, another neighbor. "And there are these old trees all over the neighborhood, so I hope it doesn't happen to somebody else. And hopefully their insurance will help out."
Basile said that fortunately she has renter's insurance, but not all of the renters in the home do.
The event gave residents and neighbors a heightened awareness of the power of Mother Nature.
"You've got to take care of your trees," said Lasker Hertz.
"Keep an eye out for trees that look old and fragile," added Stepelman.
Garcia attempted to contact the city forester as well as the Building Inspections Department but didn't immediately hear back.
There was no word on if or when residents would be allowed to return home.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
