Soccer players narrowly escape injury when 15-foot tree branch crashes onto bench in Pasadena park

A group of soccer players narrowly escaped injury in Pasadena on Tuesday afternoon when a massive tree limb crashed to the ground, crushing a bench where the players were sitting, officials said.

About 3 p.m., half a dozen players seeking shade under the tree at Villa Parke heard a crack from above and bolted, leaving their shoes and belongings behind. Moments later, a 15-foot limb plummeted onto their bench, said Lisa Derderian, spokeswoman with the Pasadena Fire Department.

The players, all first-year college students, escaped with just a few minor scrapes.

“Very lucky day for these soccer players,” Derderian said. “It could’ve been a lot worse.”

Derderian said a wet winter left trees moist and top-heavy, but now the intense heat is an issue.

“We’re attributing it to adverse weather,” she said.

It took crews 45 minutes to remove the fallen limb. The area will remain cordoned off until personnel from the Public Works Department can inspect the tree.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek