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Public Safety

150-Year-Old Oak Crushes Home In Ramona

An unstable oak tree fell and crushed an unoccupied house in near Ramona on February 7, 2010.
Cal Fire
An unstable oak tree fell and crushed an unoccupied house in near Ramona on February 7, 2010.

A 150-year-old oak tree has crushed a house in northern San Diego County.

The 30-foot-tall tree began leaning against the porch of the Ramona home after the soil was saturated by heavy rains last month and the family - a couple and their 7-year-old daughter - moved to a hotel because of the danger.

The tree also was leaning on a power line leading to the home. San Diego Gas & Electric spokesman Art Larson says a worker disconnected the line Sunday afternoon and the 6-foot-wide tree fell, smashing the home.

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A neighbor, Rick Morgal, says the utility trimmed the tree several months ago. He believes it was done unevenly and left the tree unbalanced.

Larson says rain, not the trimming, caused the tree to move.

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