Half-cut tree crashes into home in Mountlake Terrace

Hiring an unlicensed person to cut down a tree could end up with a tree crashing into your house.

KIRO 7 cameras were there Wednesday afternoon as arborists with Seattle Tree Care tried to clean up the damage someone else left behind in Mountlake Terrace.

The person living in the house that was crushed by a tree told KIRO 7 off-camera that the worker hired to remove the giant fir tree showed up around 10 p.m. on Tuesday and started taking the tree down, only to abandon the project halfway through.

A short time later, the heavy fir came crashing down onto part of the home.

“Our heart just goes out to these folks,” said Peter Gruenwoldt, owner of Seattle Tree Care. “They hired an uninsured, very not-reputable tree company, and unfortunately this is the result.”

Gruenwoldt recommends people make sure that the tree companies they’re hiring are licensed, bonded, insured, and have good reviews.

No one was hurt and no other homes were damaged during the incident.

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