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Strong winds blew down a towering, century-old oak tree Monday, May 18, in Glen Ellen, sending it crashing into a power line causing an outage and then onto a business, damaging the building and crushing three parked vehicles, fire officials said.
No one was injured in the incident, which occurred around 10:40 a.m. at Stage Interiors, a real estate staging business at 939 Carquinez Ave., Sonoma Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Jason Campbell said.
Three employees were at work at the time.
They were outside the building loading a box truck with furniture when the tree came down, likely preventing serious injuries, added Sonoma Valley fire Capt. Jeremy Branconi, who along with the Glen Ellen Engine 35 crew, responded to the incident.
“There was no one in the building at the time,” Branconi said. All three workers’ vehicles were damaged, with at least two likely totaled, he added.
The tree, estimated to be about 100 years old and described as healthy, was brought down by strong winds that have buffeted the area since the weekend, Branconi said.
Campbell noted it was “still pretty windy” at the scene Monday morning.
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory Sunday that affected parts of the North Bay. It predicted local gusts could reach as much as 60 mph and remained in effect until 11 a.m. Monday.
The impact of the fallen tree compromised the Glen Ellen business’ roof and prompted an evaluation by a Sonoma County building inspector, who was expected to red-tag the structure and declare it uninhabitable, Branconi said.
He added that it would likely remain that way for several months. Power to the area was knocked out but was expected to be restored by the end of the day, he added.
Apartments located behind the commercial building were not affected, Campbell said.
It was unclear whether any other surrounding business/residential customers were affected by the power outage.
Over the weekend, due to forecasts of high winds and increased temperatures, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. shut off power to about 4,700 customers as part of the first public safety power shutoff of the year.
Fifteen counties have been affected by the shutoffs, including Sonoma, Napa, Lake counties, according to a news release from PG&E.
Campbell said Sonoma Valley Fire District responded to as many as 10 weather-related calls in the Valley over the weekend — mostly for trees and wires down — but the Glen Ellen incident was the first to cause significant damage to a building.
Both Campbell and Branconi urged residents to stay away from downed trees and power lines and to call 911 immediately if power lines are involved.
“A lot of people, when their power goes out, their natural reaction is to walk outside and see what’s going on,” Branconi said, noting that power lines are often hard to see and can be potentially fatal. He described lines arcing on the ground and a transformer that blew up when the tree fell, drawing 20-25 onlookers from nearby businesses, including a café up the street.
“Power lines are very, very small and they blend in with the road. And they can be fatal, so just stay away and let first responders do their thing,” Branconi said.
Campbell said the incident should be a reminder for property owners to monitor older or potentially compromised trees near homes and businesses, even though weather events are difficult to predict.
The business owner was traveling to the scene during the response, Campbell added.
The fire department, California Highway Patrol, PG&E and the Sonoma County business inspector responded to the incident, fire officials said.
You can reach Staff Writer Emma Molloy at emma.molloy@sonomanews.com.
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