While the house was red-tagged, two residents and their dog were rescued from the heavily damaged home by emergency workers. NBC Los Angeles’ John Cádiz Klemack reports.
Martha Martinez, a long time resident of Monrovia, heard loud, unsettling sound coming from outside her home Wednesday night.
“All of the sudden, I heard the noise. Then I saw the tree falling down,” said Martinez, who rushed out of her house as soon as she realized what was happening to check on her neighbors.
Martinez, who called 911 to report the incident on Mountain Avenue near Foothill Boulevard, was terrified of the worst case scenario for her longtime neighbors, a husband and a wife as well as their dog.
“We didn’t know if they were OK.”
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Finally when emergency workers arrived, they went through the back of the house to rescue the two residents as well as their pet.
The house and their van became now severely damaged by the toppled tree. The house was red-tagged, and the couple, who rents the home, had only a couple of hours to grab whatever they could.
“She may have lost everything,” Martinez said about her neighbor. “We’re going to try to help her with whatever she needs.”
Martinez said the now-uprooted tree was a concern for people in the area, including the woman who lived in the house for a long time.
“She’s always been afraid of the tree,” Martinez said.
The city of Monrovia has been cutting branches and leaves from the tree, so they don’t interfere with the power lines overhead.
The tree appeared to be within the homeowner’s property line.
