TOLEDO, Ohio — A large tree fell on one of the buildings at Hope Manor Apartments in west Toledo on Saturday afternoon, displacing residents.
Some residents who live at Hope Manor Apartments said they have been begging for these trees to be cut down for months, worried this might happen. Now around eight to 10 people have no home because of the damage.
At least one of the residents at the senior living apartment complex, Susan Wisda, was trapped in her unit after the tree fell on the building but has since been extricated from the apartment by Toledo Fire and Rescue.
Firefighters had to cut a hole in the wall of the apartment to get her out.
“I was sleeping on my couch when I heard crackling and stuff and I just thought my cat had knocked something off the wall,” said Wisda. “I opened my eyes and I was covered with pink insulation and ants and wood, and I was scared.”
According to TFRD Battalion Chief Matthew Brixey, Wisda was not injured.
Most of the damage was localized to one or two units where the tree landed but the impact did cause major structural damage to the entire building.
As a result, multiple people who lived in the building have been displaced.
According to TFRD, property owners are finding housing for those who have been displaced.
"We have it shut down right now, so nobody will be going back in there. The property owners here have been very gracious and they're finding housing for everybody that was displaced", said Brixey.
Brixey said a lot of ceilings were down in the building and the roof was caved in.
A tree expert estimated the weight of the tree to be approximately 70,000 pounds.
"It's just too dangerous for us to get under. So they're going to get a crane out here, the building owners are, to get it removed. And then from there, the repair will have to start on the building," said Brixey.
It’s unclear why the tree came down.
Although no one was injured, a black long-haired cat was lost after the tree came down. Brixey said the cat's name is Twinkles.
Hope Manor is on Violet Road in the neighborhood behind Mercy St. Anne Hospital.
MORE FROM WTOL 11:
Want more from WTOL 11?
➡️ Download the WTOL 11 news app here.
Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox! WTOL's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed. Click here to get on the list!
Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on-demand content from WTOL 11+.
Our free WTOL 11+ apps are available on Roku and Firetv.
WTOL 11+ features the latest breaking news and weather, plus daily talk shows, coverage of your favorite sports teams from Locked On, fact-checking from VERIFY and the latest trending stories from Daily Blast Live.
Looking for the lowest current local gas prices? Check out the WTOL 11 gas price tracker, powered by Gas Buddy, here.