Tree falls through woman's kitchen
SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- A south bend woman is thanking her lucky stars tonight after a huge tree split in half and fell through her kitchen missing her by two feet.
The woman was trapped inside and had to be pulled out of her home by a police officer.
Firefighters say the tree fell around 10:30 this morning on Prescott Avenue in South Bend.
The homeowner is doing well now. The tree did manage to rupture a gas line. The homeowner was trapped inside and had to be rescued by a police officer. During the time she was trapped, she inhaled a lot of gas and had to be taken to Memorial Hospital for breathing treatments.
Malina Spears went running for cover today when this enormous tree fell right through her kitchen.
"I was at the refrigerator door when it fell", said homeowner Malina Spears.
"That's when I dialed 911 and told them I was stuck in the house and couldn't get out", said Spears.
As if Spears was not in enough trouble, the tree also ruptured a gas line.
"They were afraid it was going to explode", said Spears.
Luckily County Police and the Clay Fire Department came to rescue Spears.
"The officer came in to get me out of the house.. He had to tear down the fence", said Spears.
Nipsco came to shut off the gas, but the trouble wasn't over yet. The tree also took out some power lines, so AEP had to come out to shut the power off in case there were live wires.
Spears says she won't be sleeping at home tonight.
"I will probably go out to my daughter's house", said Spears.
She wishes she would have removed the tree before it fell.
"We were just saying the tree had to go because it was old and every time there is a storm branches fall", said Spears.
But she is thankful her kitchen was the only casualty.
"That could have been me under that tree", said Spears.
The power will be off until tomorrow when Spears’ insurance company comes to assess the damage.
Firefighters say judging by the lack of tree roots, they think ants have been eating the tree for years and it was rotted and just died.