A tree struck by lighting Monday evening came crashing down on a Port Coquitlam home, leaving the homeowner with minor injuries.
The 63-year-old man was taken to hospital with a concussion. His wife wasn’t hurt.
A neighbour heard the tree hit the house and called 911 at around 11 p.m.
Kristen Meersman, the city’s director of engineering and public works, said after an arborist’s inspection of the damage on Tuesday morning, it is believed that the incident was caused “due to lightning and the extreme weather events on Monday night.”
The home is located on Amazon Drive, off Riverwood Gate and not far from Terry Fox secondary school.
“We understand that the resident did sustain minor injuries and we do wish him all the best in his recovery,” Meersman said in a video posted to the city’s Twitter feed.
Meersman said the tree that fell on the home was on city land but the city had not received any specific reports about that tree previously having any safety issues.
Meersman said there have been some incidents in the past in the surrounding area of some problematic trees — especially with the last two major windstorms — and the city has since done a lot of preventative maintenance in the area, removing problem trees when required.
Other trees have been put on a “watch list” and the city performs more frequent inspections to ensure that they don’t become an issue for public safety, she said.
While PoCo takes steps on city lands, it is reminding property owners they are responsible for the health and maintenance of trees on their properties. If they have concerns, they should contact a certified arborist for advice (check portcoquitlam.ca for more).
The city is responsible for maintaining trees on public property, such as park lands and boulevards. To report a problem, call 604-927-5496 (weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or email [email protected] . For after-hours emergencies, call 604-543-9700. City staff will inspect a problem tree and determine the appropriate response required.
During a windstorm overnight on March 10, 57-year-old Jill Calder of Port Moody was pinned and killed by a tree that fell on her Heritage Mountain home.
Last November, trees fell and hundreds of thousands of people were without power following a storm.
