A tree fell onto parked vehicles at Burien’s Seahurst Park on Monday, Sept. 7, damaging seven unoccupied cars but injuring no one, according to information provided by Burien Police.
A deputy dispatched to reports of a tree falling on several cars in the upper parking lot found damage ranging from minor to significant.
Police said their information did not identify a cause, and the tree was reportedly healthy.
Winds at nearby Sea-Tac Airport averaged 7 mph through late afternoon Monday, with a peak gust of 15 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The tree fell in the park’s upper parking lot Monday afternoon as visitors spent Labor Day at the beach, MyNorthwest reported. Its initial report described six damaged vehicles; police subsequently confirmed that the responding deputy observed damage to seven.
Park employees used chainsaws to cut up the trunk and a front loader to remove heavy limbs from the vehicles, according to MyNorthwest.
The tree involved was a red alder, a common native tree, and there was no damage to park infrastructure.
“The City of Burien is continuing to look into the matter and consistently works to improve urban forest management and safety even with minimal available resources,” Burien PaRCS Director Casey Stanley told The B-Town Blog. “The City is typically only able to respond to tree-related issues once they are reported.”
First responders on site contacted the City after they were called to the parking lot. City maintenance crews were sent out to safely clear the downed tree and restore access to the parking lot during the busy Labor Day holiday.
Police confirmed that all seven vehicles were unoccupied when the tree fell.
MANY trees are leaning and ready to fall.They cannot remove the leaning, fallen trees. This is not the first time this has happened. BURIEN IS BROKE and has been for many years. I’m sure Police Chief Boe is happy he left this sh*t hole town.