Residents displaced after tree falls onto Roanoke house

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Tuesday morning was anything but ordinary for two southwest Roanoke residents, as they saw a tree fall on their home.

“Life safety is the number priority we have. Obviously I think both residents were shaken by the event, but by the good graces, nobody was actually hurt or harmed by that, only property,” said Chad Riddleberger, Battalion Chief with Roanoke Fire-EMS.

Roanoke Fire-EMS was called to Creston Avenue SW just after 9 a.m.

“We got the initial response for a structural collapse which ended up being a large tree into a residential structure. From there, we get a full compliment of first responders which included our technical team with collapse capabilities.”

The residents declined an on-camera interview but the husband said his wife was sitting on the porch as the tree fell and that they were both shaken by the experience.

Roanoke Fire-EMS said these situations aren’t uncommon, especially after a storm.

“Rain inherently creates two issues, either high water or actually creates issues with the soil composition. Which creates, when we get a little bit of wind, some instability of the soil with trees, it is not uncommon for us to have some large trees that actually come down.”

Though the situation was a freak of nature, Roanoke Fire-EMS said residents should keep a close eye on the conditions of the trees around their homes.

“Be proactive in making sure that they are stable, that they are pruned and taken care of properly.”

The residents do have a place to stay as crews clean-up the wreckage and Roanoke Fire-EMS is just happy everyone was okay.

Fire-EMS personnel performed hazard and structural stability assessments before turning the property over to the property owner.

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