Storm Takes Down 100-Foot Tree, It Crushes Car in San Francisco

A 100-foot black acacia tree crashed to the ground early Tuesday morning, totaling a Subaru near the intersection of Post and Pierce streets. 

No injuries occurred in the incident, according to Capt. Jonathan Baxter, public information officer of the San Francisco Fire Department.

“I heard a loud crack around 2:30 a.m.,” said E. Martinez, a nearby resident who lives across the street at 2100 Pierce and declined to give a first name. “The wind was going like crazy."

The tree was not taped off until around 6:30 a.m., according to Martinez. Traffic was down to one lane on Post Street, with orange cones set up on the roadway and yellow caution tape surrounding the tree. 

“The rain was so loud; it sounded like it was hailing,” said nearby resident Marta Fuentealba. “It woke me up at 3 a.m.” 

A consistent stream of pedestrians walking their dogs stopped to take pictures of the enormous black acacia, with drivers slowing to a stop on the two-way street to document the uprooted tree. 

The Department of Public Works arrived on scene at 11:20 a.m. to clear the tree, which the workers estimated would take several hours. 

Given the high volume of incident reports across the city due to the recent storms, the San Francisco Fire Department referred the case to the Department of Public Works once the roadway was cleared and it was determined that there were no injuries.