photo by Joe Egan

Members of the Summerville Town Streets Department helped clean up the remains of a large Pine tree that fell early Sunday morning.

A 98-year-old Pine tree gave way to gravity and old age in the wee morning hours on Sunday when it toppled over on South Main Street and wedged itself into a nearby oak tree.

The crash caused power outages to nearly 850 customers in the surrounding neighborhood, according to Patricia Freshwater, with South Carolina Electric & Gas. Most of the customers had their power restored with an hour, while others closer to the scene were without power for several hours, Freshwater said.

There were no reported injuries in the crash, except for the Loblolly Pine tree itself. Crews worked until midday Sunday, and roped off the area containing the massive fallen trunk. Town Planning Director Charlie Miller said the remaining stump of the tree has now been removed completely.

“The town streets department was working (the scene) at 4 a.m.,” Miller said.

As a result of the fallen tree, SCE&G had to replace an electricity pole and associated wires affected by the fallen tree. Freshwater said the tree broke another pole closer to town hall and caused damage to a cross-arm near the Rollings School of the Arts. Both will be replaced this week, Freshwater said.

The exact reason for the tree's early morning fall was not known, but Director Miller offered an explanation. “(The Pine tree) has been leaning across Main Street for 70 years,” he said. “It was windy (this weekend), and there was all the saturation in the ground because of the water.”

Miller said crews stopped counting rings of the tree when they reached 90, indicating that the tree is at least that number of years old.

Town Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hinson said a Loblolly Pine tree’s maximum life span can reach 200 years. He said the tree will be replaced, but not in the same location.

“We replant trees every year,” Hinson said. “The side of the ditch is not the best place for a tree.”

Contact Jenny Peterson at 873-9424 ext. 216 or JPeterson@journalscene.com.

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