'All of a sudden, the roof and everything came down'
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KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Heavy rains and some wind gusts brought down some huge cottonwood trees in Kirkland Thursday evening, and eight units in a condo complex were damaged.
In all, three big cottonwoods crashed down right during dinner hour, but luckily no one was hurt.
"I heard massive rumbling," said Niki Desario. "I knew something was happening. It was extremely loud. It sounded like an earthquake."
Bonnie Jenne says next thing she knew, a tree was in her house.
"All of a sudden the roof and everything came down atop my table in the dining room."
Had the tree fallen three minutes earlier, Bonnie says she would have been at that table.
Residents came back Friday to pick up possessions. All are safe, but most are angry because they had been watching one of those trees for years.
"I've been watching go from straight up to bending down over the years," said Bob McKinney.
Carol Arnold says experts they hired told them it was a danger.
"The water coming down the creek had eroded underneath that tree and even the arborists we hired said it was a very big danger," she said.
One of the trees that fell was on neighboring property alongside a salmon-bearing stream.
"The way the tree was leaning, the rot, the improper pruning in the past it had a real large risk factor and a target right underneath it," said arborist Tom Corno. "And I told them it should be taken up."
Corno said he took pictures and sent them to the city. But he says nothing happened. He added maybe they put fish over people.
The city of Kirkland says it has no record of anyone ever filing a request to remove the tree. They say there is no record that they ever got involved in any discussion about the tree.
The property manager of the complex where the tree fell had no immediate comment.
In all, three big cottonwoods crashed down right during dinner hour, but luckily no one was hurt.
"I heard massive rumbling," said Niki Desario. "I knew something was happening. It was extremely loud. It sounded like an earthquake."
Bonnie Jenne says next thing she knew, a tree was in her house.
"All of a sudden the roof and everything came down atop my table in the dining room."
Had the tree fallen three minutes earlier, Bonnie says she would have been at that table.
Residents came back Friday to pick up possessions. All are safe, but most are angry because they had been watching one of those trees for years.
"I've been watching go from straight up to bending down over the years," said Bob McKinney.
Carol Arnold says experts they hired told them it was a danger.
"The water coming down the creek had eroded underneath that tree and even the arborists we hired said it was a very big danger," she said.
One of the trees that fell was on neighboring property alongside a salmon-bearing stream.
"The way the tree was leaning, the rot, the improper pruning in the past it had a real large risk factor and a target right underneath it," said arborist Tom Corno. "And I told them it should be taken up."
Corno said he took pictures and sent them to the city. But he says nothing happened. He added maybe they put fish over people.
The city of Kirkland says it has no record of anyone ever filing a request to remove the tree. They say there is no record that they ever got involved in any discussion about the tree.
The property manager of the complex where the tree fell had no immediate comment.
