OJAI : Big Limb of Rotting Oak Crashes Through Cabin’s Roof

A massive limb of a rotting oak tree crashed through the roof of a cabin in an Ojai complex, narrowly missing a woman who was sleeping inside and prompting her neighbor to register a complaint Friday with city officials that the property is not well-maintained.

The tree split apart and ripped through the roof of the small house in the 400 block of Mallory Way about 8 p.m. Thursday as the woman napped on a sofa.

“It sounded like an earthquake, but even bigger,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified.

The huge branch knocked down a corner of the woman’s cabin, broke one window and loosened a ceiling beam that fell about two feet from her head, she said.

Although no one was injured in the incident, Terri Campbell, 39, a resident of the complex, complained to Ojai city officials that the property’s owners are neglecting maintenance of the site’s 25 studio and one-bedroom units.

Campbell and other neighbors said their cabins have faulty wiring and other problems that may violate city building codes.

Charles Wade, one of the owners of the complex, said he wasn’t aware of the residents’ complaints, but acknowledged that the tiny cabins, which rent for $450 to $575 a month, are not in prime condition.

“It’s not the Taj Mahal,” Wade said. “They’re about the cheapest thing in town.”

Ojai city officials said they aren’t aware of any previous complaints about the complex. Planning Director Bill Prince said city inspectors would try to talk to the owners about Campbell’s concerns.

Landscaper Bob Decker, who helped to clear away the broken branch Friday, said many of the oaks and other trees that surround the complex are overgrown and badly need to be cut back. The broken tree’s roots were completely rotten and the tree “just finally gave way,” Decker said.

Wade said he was as surprised as his tenants about the condition of the oak tree.

Wade is paying for the woman to stay in a motel until her cabin is repaired.