The Bay Area got lit up yesterday: we’re talking lightning strikes. An Alaska Airlines flight operated by Horizon was struck at Oakland International Airport. In Sausalito, a redwood tree was struck and shattered windows at two homes.
“It sounded like a bomb went off,” Ellie Wilder, a neighbor, said.
Our partner Berkeleyside reports on local lightning damage:
A giant redwood tree in North Berkeley was struck by lightning at around 1:15 p.m. today and “exploded,” sending chunks of wood flying in all directions, according to authorities.
Several windows and skylights in nearby homes were broken out, but there were no reported injuries, according to Berkeley Deputy Fire Chief Avery Webb, who estimated the redwood, which is at the intersection of Holly Street and Buena Avenue, had been reduced in size from 70 ft to about 25 ft….
Kat McGowan, who was in the area, said the tree “exploded” and shards of wood flew everywhere. She said the house next to the tree seemed to be “mostly OK” “It was scary/thrilling. Good thing everybody seems to be OK,” she posted on Twitter.
KQED News Fix editor and Berkeley resident Dan Brekke posted photos of the aftermath in a set he calls “End of a Berkeley Redwood.”