Large tree uproots overnight, falls on power line, misses car

Citrus Heights resident Andrew Carpenter came home from celebrating his 30th birthday in Lake Tahoe over the weekend to find a large oak tree uprooted in his front yard — partially blocking the road and resting right where his car is usually parked.

“If it would’ve fallen the other way, that would have been a disaster,” said Andrew Carpenter, who said the only damage to property was a scuff on his mailbox, despite the tree being rooted just five feet from his house and landing on a power line. “It’s a miracle that it didn’t hurt anything.”

Neighbors said they heard a crash around 1 a.m. on Saturday morning, but with no wind or rain that night, they were surprised to find the tree completely blocking their only exit path on Phoenix Lane, near Old Auburn Boulevard.

“I thought something fell on my house ’cause the house shook,” said neighbor Gary McDonald, who called SMUD around 5 a.m. after realizing what happened. By 10 a.m., he said a crew had the tree out of the road and off the power line.

Carpenter said he plans to purchase a chainsaw to process the remaining slash, trunk and branches left by SMUD workers, who are only responsible for removing any immediate hazards to the public.

Roots on the oak tree appear to have been rotted out, and neighbors believe the cause may have been a previous resident over-watering grass around the tree.