Tree crashes onto home, cars and power lines in Victory Gardens
VICTORY GARDENS, New Jersey (WABC) -- Several residents were displaced after a tree fell on a home, power lines and cars in New Jersey on Monday afternoon.
The incident happened on Monroe Avenue in Victory Gardens just before 3 p.m.
"It appears that the structural damage may be limited and the bulk of the displaced residents is the result of the power lines coming down from a tree that was on private property," Morris County OEM said in a statement.
The house was occupied at the time, but there were no injuries reported on the scene.
Eyewitness News reporter Toni Yates spoke with a man who was in the house taking a shower when the tree collapsed.
"I had a doctor's appointment earlier today, so I went to go take a shower after a long day, as I was getting out of the shower I heard a loud rustle, a boom and the house shook a little bit, and the first thing in my mind was to make sure the dog was ok," Germaine Reyes said. "It didn't sound as a bad, but when I got outside, you saw a whole tree on top of your house."
His girlfriend, who lives in the house with her mom, said the tree was hit by lightning last month and part of it fell in the opposite direction, so they knew the tree was weak.
The fire chief said there was no storm in the area on Monday, but there was wind, so they suspect that's what caused the rest of the tree to come down on the house.
Officials said that if the tree had fallen 7 inches further inside, it would've hit a part of the house that wasn't as structurally sound.
The Red Cross is assisting families in the area.
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