A large eucalyptus tree toppled onto a vehicle on northbound McBean Parkway near Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia on Friday afternoon as powerful Santa Ana winds swept through the Santa Clarita Valley, pinning the vehicle and sending one person to the hospital with minor injuries.
The tree came down around 12:40 p.m. just north of Magic Mountain Parkway, according to hometownstation.com. The outlet reported that one person was inside the vehicle the tree struck and was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The fallen eucalyptus had been planted near the entrance to a nearby Target shopping plaza, the same report noted.
The tree fell across four lanes, The Signal reported.
The New York Post, which also covered the incident, reported that a female driver was traveling northbound on McBean Parkway when the eucalyptus tree fell on her minivan, and that she survived and was taken to a hospital, according to the New York Post.
Fire Crews Called In To Clear The Roadway
The Los Angeles County Fire Department and city of Santa Clarita personnel were called to the scene shortly after noon, the same Signal report said. Firefighters used chainsaws to dismantle the tree.
The fallen tree blocked northbound McBean Parkway while crews worked.
Santa Ana Winds Trigger Power Shutoffs, School Closures
The tree fell amid a broader bout of dangerous wind conditions across the Santa Clarita Valley. The strong winds had already triggered multiple Public Safety Power Shutoffs and forced school cancellations for some SCV students before the tree came down, according to hometownstation.com's report.
A red flag warning remained in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday for gusty northeast-to-east winds and low humidity across most valleys and coastal areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, per the National Weather Service. Forecasters separately described a moderate to strong Santa Ana wind event bringing widespread strong winds and critical fire-weather conditions to much of Southwest California, according to a National Weather Service area forecast discussion.
