Part of tree falls on parked car and downs power line in Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa city crews were working Friday to remove a large aleppo pine after part of the tree broke off and smashed a parked car on Avocado Street on Thursday.
Costa Mesa police received a call at about 4:30 p.m. that a portion of the tree at 333 Avocado St. had fallen on a car. As it fell, it damaged a Southern California Edison pole and downed a power line, according to police Sgt. Bang Le.
Le said the utility company repaired the line and city crews began the process of removing the tree. The cost of the damage was not immediately known.
It’s not clear what caused the city-owned tree to break apart. Costa Mesa Public Works Director Raja Sethuraman said the city arborist will review photos and try to determine what happened.
Sethuraman said he suspects a lack of moisture in the tree related to the state’s recently ended five-year drought could be to blame.
On Friday morning, a large portion of the tree was still standing and branches were piled on the lawn of a nearby apartment building. The area, extending partially onto Avocado Street, was roped off with caution tape and orange cones.
Crews were expected to finish removing the tree Friday.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
