Horror moment tree smashes into home
Terrifying footage shows the moment a massive tree smashed through a Sydney home.
Keli Ou and May Sun were standing in the bedroom of their Eastwood home on Sunday when they suddenly heard an enormous crashing sound.
Through their kitchen was a large gumtree that had smashed into their home, destroying everything in its wake and leaving the horrified couple in distress.
“I was so scared,” Ms Sun told 9News, describing the scene as a “war zone”.
Upon hearing the sound of the crashing, neighbour Yin Huang rushed outside and discovered the tree collapsed through their home, the deck and kitchen in tatters, and their fence and clothesline utterly destroyed at the same time.
“I was yelling to make sure neighbours are safe,” Ms Huang said. Over the weekend, the blistering winds across NSW’s capital city sparked the tree’s collapse; according to the couple’s neighbour, the sight of the fallen gumtree wasn’t much of a surprise.
The gumtree, which was planted on another property, has long been a point of contention, after multiple applications to have the tree removed were rejected by the Ryde City Council.
It’s been a year since Ms Huang first applied to have the tree removed, but the local council continued rejecting her applications.
“We requested for a review,” she said.
“It’s been rejected again.”
Things became serious when Ms Huang noticed cracks forming in the base of the tree last week. Snapping photos to assess the size of the split and sent them to the council; her final photo was sent hours before the tree collapsed in the neighbour’s home.
Despite her constant efforts to remove the tree, the council informed her she should resubmit her application.
Speaking to 9News, a spokesman for Ryde City Council said “the tree, which is on private land, was previously assessed as being acceptable for retention in accordance with industry accepted methodologies”.
“When the tree owner raised concerns about a change in its health and condition last week, they were advised that a new application for an inspection was needed and unfortunately the tree failed prior to any subsequent inspection being carried out,” the statement continued.
The couple, now unable to live in their house due to the damage, must stay in a hotel while the wreckage is removed - a step they’re happy to take until they can safely return home.