Massive tree falls, damages San Jose backyard

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - It was a close call in the South Bay on Thursday. A massive tree snapped and fell just feet away from a home. The tree took out a garage but the homeowner tells KTVU she's thankful because it could have been much worse.

The tree came down around 11 a.m. in San Jose. It happened on North 9th and East St. James streets. A temporary fence was just put up. The tree sits on her neighbor's property. She even warned him the tree was going to come down.

Liane Cerros didn't even want to walk her in her backyard fearing the worst after a massive 50-foot tree gave out.

"I'm okay," said Cerros. "It could be worse. My car could have been in there. Someone could have gotten hurt."

The tree fell around 11 a.m. Luckily, no one was home. The tree demolished her garage and almost crashed into her home.

Questions remain as to how it fell. It wasn't windy at the time and the tree full of green leaves didn't appear to be in distress. It sits on her neighbor's property by an alleyway.

"To be honest that tree has bothered me for a while, I've talked to him about it saying it's really big," said Cerros. "It's hanging over my property."

"It could of hit here, it could have hit my house," said Neighbor Doug Hong. "It could have fell on the road."

Her neighbor was at home when he heard the tree fall. Hong described what he heard as lumber rolling out of a truck. He suspects it got too big.

"Age and where it's located," said Hong. "The dirt, it grew and got too big to where it was sitting in."

He's now talking to his insurance company and an arborist. The homeowner is taking everything in stride despite the rude awakening from Mother Nature.

"My son asked if I got in a fight with a witch recently," said Cerros. "They put a curse on us."

Oddly enough, the garage was already damaged because her other next door neighbor had a fire six weeks ago.