Boy still critical, girl upgraded after California tree fall
PASADENA, Calif. -- Officials say a young girl's condition has been upgraded from critical to guarded, while a young boy remains in critical condition a day after a huge pine tree fell on them outside a Southern California children's museum.
Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said Wednesday that an arborist is beginning an investigation to determine what caused the 75-foot-tall pine to fall.
Derderian says the injured children are between 6 and 8 years old. They have been hospitalized in the pediatric trauma unit at the Los Angeles County University of Southern California Medical Center since they were struck by the tree as it fell in Brookside Park near the Rose Bowl.
"On behalf of the city, I want to extend our thoughts and prayers to the injured children, especially those still hospitalized, and their families," said Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek. "We are praying for their full recovery."
Derderian says a third child, who is related to one of the critically injured, was taken to the hospital as a precaution by a grandfather, but was not admitted.
Six other children sustained minor injuries from the tree.
It remains unclear if a lack of water from the current drought may have been the reason why the tree uprooted, CBS Los Angeles reported.