POWAY, Calif. (KGTV) — As rain and strong winds batter San Diego County, a Poway family has been forced out of their home because a tree fell on it. Alan Sugarman and his wife knew something was wrong when a noise jolted them awake Wednesday morning.
"We heard a big crash. My initial thought was it was thunder," said Sugarman. "Because it was raining pretty hard, wind was blowing and I thought it was thunder. My wife said 'No, that's something that fell.'"
Sugarman got out of bed and walked next door, finding parts of his neighbor's home crushed by a pine tree.
"Shock. I've been here 38 years and never seen a tree fall," said Sugarman. "Little branches, maybe. But that thing was uprooted. Roots out of the ground. Never seen anything quite like it."
The homeowners didn't want to go on camera, but they tell ABC 10News the tree landed on their bedroom. The impact split several walls apart.
"They even commented the roof caved in," said Sugarman.
Now, that family has branches poking through their living room. This comes as rainfall saturates the ground, making it harder for trees to support themselves. Authorities say the softened soil and this week's strong winds caused the pine tree to collapse.
"The tree is sitting in mud," said Sugarman. "We could hear strong winds throughout the night. We knew it was blowing pretty hard throughout the night."
The family is now forced to leave home. Crews began chopping parts of the tree away to remove it Wednesday afternoon. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
It remains unclear whether the home can be saved, or when the tree will be removed.
