Shirlee McKibbin got a rude awakening at 4 a.m. Sunday, May 7 when a mature American elm tree fell over across the street from her home at 22nd Street and 4th Avenue. The tree clipped the neighbor’s house and caused an electrical fire. Shirlee called 911. The firemen arrived quickly and so did the city tree crew.
SMUD restored electricity to the few homes that were affected. Arborist and SCNA board member Dan Pskowski inspected the downed tree and found no obvious reason for its failure. He suspects it fell because its root system was unable to support the uneven distribution of weight of its limbs.
Photo/Mike Scheible