'Lucky to be alive': Man survives after 150-foot tree falls on house in western Berks County
The man was stuck in a small, dangerous space in his garage for nearly an hour.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A man managed to survive to tell his story after crews in western Berks County cut down a 150-foot tree and it fell in the wrong direction.
It landed on the home next door, trapping the man who lives there inside.
Crew members say this man is lucky to be alive.
The man was stuck in a small, dangerous space in his garage for nearly an hour as crews worked quickly to rescue him.
The Western Berks Fire Department says this is not something they do every day.
"I've never had a call like this in my 25 years in the fire service," said Fire Commissioner Jared Renshaw of the Western Berks Fire Department. "I've never had anything like this. This is something we consider low frequency, but high risk."
Their drone images show the overhead view with the tree almost ripping the roof in half.
The tree itself wasn't the only concern in this rescue.
The tree also struck propane tanks, and Renshaw says there were also structural and electrical concerns.
"He was still trapped in the corner of the garage underneath the truss system for the roof," he said. "It created a web, like a like a spider's web of wood, that had kind of crisscrossed and intertwined, which was preventing him from getting out."
They say the man suffered some lacerations, but amazingly, he was talking and is now hospitalized for treatment and monitoring.
Crews are now determining how to safely remove the tree as they investigate how this happened.
