Huge tree crashes through window of West End apartment (PHOTOS)
Fire crews responded to Vancouver’s West End neighbourhood Tuesday afternoon after a huge tree fell into an apartment building.
The tree crashed through the window of a second-floor unit and damaged a ground-floor unit. A large tree branch could be seen protruding into the living room from the street.
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Luckily no one was injured, according to Vancouver Fire Rescue Services.
It happened just after 2:30 pm, and by 3:30 pm an arborist team from the City of Vancouver was also on scene to saw the tree into pieces.
The huge tree became the talk of the neighbourhood as nearby residents stopped to take pictures and see the damage for themselves.Ā It’s not yet clear why the tree fell, but its entire bottom was uprooted and resting on the lawn outside 1872 Barclay Street.
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A spokesperson from the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation said the tree was a horse-chestnut, and it’s not yet known why it fell.
“Urban Forestry will evaluate the site and surrounding conditions to determine next steps.”
This isn’t the first time a large tree has fallen in the West End. Several have fallen on Nelson Street in the last two years, although two of them were after a wind storm — not the clear sunny weather Vancouver is experienced Tuesday.
“There have been some other trees that have fallen in the West End in recent years,” the City spokesperson confirmed. “These failures were not foreseen through inspections by Park Board tree risk assessors. Our staff work tirelessly to inspect Vancouver’s 160,000+ street trees for structural defects and site conditions that may result in higher levels of risk, while removing potentially hazardous trees and branches on streets, parks, and golf courses throughout the year.”
With files from Amir Ali