High Winds Knock Tree Into Power Lines, Trap Family In Home
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) --A family in Pittsburgh's Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood was trapped in their home after winds sent a tree crashing into some power lines.
The tree fell around 4 p.m. in front of the home in the 1200-block of Thelma Street.
Pittsburgh police and firefighters along with Duquesne Light crews were called to the scene. The power crews cut electricity while the tree was cut up and removed.
"They actually told us when my mom came back out, they said, "Ma'am, get back in.' I went downstairs in my bedroom, and my mom came out and asked them if they wanted something to drink, and the cop yelled at her and told her to get in the house because of the wires," said Mathew Murphy, a resident of the home.
The family said they had noticed the tree swaying for several hours before it finally came down. Even after the tree fell, the family didn't realize for a few moments that it had created a hazard.
"Earlier today, when the wind would blow, the tree would like rock, but we didn't expect the tree to fall," said Murphy. "Then, I was in my room and I heard a big bang.
"We [were] on the porch," he added, "and then I told my mom, 'Get in 'cause if the wires would break, if they come up here - they could electrocute us.'"
No injuries were reported, and there was no structural damage to the home.
"The tree looked really old, and you could tell kind of rotten on one side - that's why it went this way," Murphy said. "The other side wasn't really rotten."
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