Tree fell on Student Union Building at Seattle Pacific University

SEATTLE — A tree fell Friday night on the Student Union Building at Seattle Pacific University, school officials said.

A large elm tree was uprooted and crashed down on the building before 8 p.m.

Students were inside when the tree fell on the south side of the building.

Student Felix Amenyo was next door at Eaton Hall studying with a group of friends when he heard the noise.

“The sound itself was like this huge crashing sound, and you could feel the vibration,” Amenyo said.

He took a photo of the fallen tree, which busted out the windows and punctured the roof.

The tree fell onto the collegium, which is used by commuter students at SPU.

School officials said that everyone was evacuated and no one was injured. The building will remain closed until a structural engineer can assess the damage.

Crews worked to remove the tree Saturday.

“As everybody must be noticing, it’s been raining a lot in January. And a lot of tree failures occur when the soils become basically saturated, they become like a mud puddle,” Scott Baker, SPU’s consulting arborist said.

Baker also said the 100 foot, century-old elm had been properly maintained.

"We've been managing but gravity got the upper hand, probably in a big gust of wind," Baker said. "Roots are literally sucked out of the ground. Once gravity has the upper hand, no tree is going to make it."

Baker also checked other trees and looked for signs of instability. He showed KIRO 7 a tool he uses to check for ground saturation.

“Not a common thing in Seattle,” Baker said.

Meanwhile, Amenyo was grateful no one was hurt. He said the Student Union Building is a hub and at any other time of the day, it is usually bustling with students.

“This could have been much worse, and that’s what we are really, really thankful for,” Amenyo said

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