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A large branch from a 100-foot-tall redwood tree fell through the roof of a multifamily residence in Mountain View early Friday morning after apparently being struck by lightning.
Mountain View dispatchers received a 911 call at 12:42 a.m. reporting the smell of smoke coming from a tree that had fallen through the roof of a multifamily residence in the 1900 block of Rock Street, according to a fire department statement.
Fire crews arrived at the scene to find that a 100-foot redwood tree appeared to have been struck by lightning, causing a branch between 5 and 6 feet in diameter to fall through the attic of the two-story residence.
“Firefighters assessed the situation and called for a city building inspector to respond,” fire officials said in a statement. “The building inspector yellow-tagged two units, meaning the property is moderately damaged to the degree that its habitability is limited.”
Five residents and their two cats were displaced following the damage, and the Fire Department contacted the American Red Cross Duty Officer to connect those affected with resources. The residents all declined assistance, instead opting to stay with family and in a local hotel, the statement said.
“The residents of the yellow-tagged units received a $250 gift card from the California Professional Firefighters Union Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency Program,” the statement added. “The residents of the other two units, which were not yellow-tagged, were allowed to return to their homes.”
Weather was determined to be the cause of the incident, which caused an estimated $100,000 in damages. The residence was turned over to the property management to coordinate the tree removal and restoration, the statement said.
This isn’t a branch failure, it appears the trunk split in two. Those are very different scenarios! Please revise?
I live in the complex and it looked like a branch went through the roof but the lightening sheered the entire top of the tree off.
Just an Observation,
Isn’t this the same property involved with the PRIVATE eviction years ago?
My neighbors 100 yards away had a much larger tree fall last week too. It has taken 3 or more days to remove it. It happened on 200 Centre Street.
It looks like the ground instability probe the trees roots. I have been warning people of this problem for years. The roots broke from the tree in my observation.
When will the city understand it is on unsolid ground? Look at all the cracks on sidewalks and streets. El Camino Real has to be overhauled again because of potholes and cracking.
For the curious, I found a picture of the tree pre lightning strike from 2020. It is on google photos at https://photos.app.goo.gl/he1qrTdYYhN5C7fo7