ORLANDO, Fla. – High winds may be to blame for sending a huge tree onto an Orlando home.
A live oak tree, estimated to be 200 years old, fell just before 2 p.m. Monday afternoon on a home on Timberlake Drive.
Recommended Videos
Lauren Barr, 17, said she had just gotten home from school when all of a sudden it felt like an earthquake.
"It was rumbling, it was loud," said Barr, who was not injured. "It was just really loud and shaking, and I didn't know what to do."
A branch pierced the home's ceiling in the garage.
Barr said she immediately called her mom, Paula, who rushed home from work.
"I was glad Lauren was out and our pets were OK. It's just sad that the tree's gone," said Paula Barr.
Paula Barr said despite the high winds Monday, she doesn't know why the tree fell. She said the tree did not show any signs of rotting or disease. In fact, the family said it had an arborist examine the tree within the past two years and it appeared fine.
Tyler Barrett with Baxter Renovations is now helping the family remove the tree. He's identified a few spots on the roof as well as the garage that will need to be repaired, but the inside of the home appears fine.
"They're extremely lucky," said Barrett. "I mean, just the way the canopy had just kind of draped over the house, and the main structure of the tree didn't really make any contact with the house was genuinely amazing."