Wind, Rain Topple Trees In San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Bob Purcell stood outside his home in San Francisco's Laurel Heights home Sunday and just shook his head.
Several feet away was Purcell's gray sedan, crushed under the weight of a massive tree that came tumbling down during Sunday's blustery winter storm.
"I heard a large crack and then someone outside yelled out an expletive," he said. "I ran outside and it was my car."
The tree was one of several that have toppled over as San Francisco has been lashed by one of the most potent winter storms in a decade.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit district was forced to halt service between its Balboa Park and Daly City stations after a tree toppled onto the tracks Sunday morning.
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A bus bridge was set up to shuttle passengers to other BART stations.
In San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, a homeless man escaped serious injury when a tree limb weakened by the weekend storm toppled over on top of him as he slept.
San Francisco Fire Battalion Chief Steve Bokura said his agency got a call reporting a tree limb trapping a man near the Beach Chalet on the Great Highway at around 6:30 a.m.
"Luckily a gardener was coming through here, checking the trees (because of the weekend storm) and heard someone screaming for help," the battalion chief said.
Bokura said his crew had to carefully cut away the massive tree limb to free the homeless man.
The man was unharmed by the branch, but was taken to the hospital suffering from hypothermia.
"He's a very lucky man," Bokura said.
At around 7:30 a.m., officials with the San Francisco Fire Department reported that a tree fell onto a Visitacion Valley apartment building, located at 166 Brookdale Ave.
Seven residents were forced out of their homes included two families, according to fire officials. They're being assisted by the American Red Cross.
