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SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — A deadly and rare storm with hurricane-force wind gusts ripped through the Santa Cruz Mountains Sunday.
Southernly winds shifted directions mid-afternoon, triggering erratic wind gusts and toppling countless trees from rain-saturated soil.
One towering tree in Boulder Creek crashed into a one-story house on the 14100 block of Highway 9 and killed a person inside at 3:20 p.m., the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KRON4.
A second resident inside was able to escape. The person who died had been trapped by the tree, SCCSO spokesperson Ashley Keehn said.
“One resident made it out of the house, but another was trapped inside. Unfortunately, the resident inside sustained injuries from the tree falling into the home and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The identity of the victim is pending notification of family,” Keehn wrote.
Images from the scene show Boulder Creek Fire Department firefighters climbing through mangled branches to reach the destroyed house.
Hurricane-force gusts reached 98 miles-per-hour on Loma Prieta peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
“Winds have gusted to 70-90 mph in many peaks across the entire San
Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast … with similar gusts along the Big Sur coast,” the National Weather Service said. A High Wind Advisory issued by the NWS expired at 8 a.m. Monday.