Eight kids were injured by a huge 70-foot pine tree that unexpectedly fell outside a museum in Pasadena, Calif. According to ABC News, the 75-year-old tree suddenly fell shortly before 5:00 pm outside the Kidspace Children's Museum in Brookside Park, just outside the Rose Bowl.
As per KABC-TV, Los Angeles firefighters quickly responded in minutes. Thirty-three kids, aged between five and nine, were reportedly participating in a summer day camp and were leaving for home in what seemed to be a fine day. Some of them were waiting outside the museum for their parents to pick them up, when suddenly, the tree fell.
"I heard a tree crack, and then I turned around and I saw little kids running, then I saw the tree fall on top of the little kids," local adult eyewitness, Greg Prodigalidad, told KABC-TV. "I ran over there with a bunch of parents and we just started going through the tree and the bushes and we started pulling them out."
"My heart was beating thinking about my own kids. I just went out there, and I tried to save as many as I could," Prodigalidad added.
Museum staff, firefighters, police and parents quickly came to the scene. Some helped take away the children from where the tree fell while rescuers cut off portions of the tree to make sure that no one was trapped underneath it.
Two children were critically injured and immediately taken to the hospital for treatment, the museum's spokesman, Tim Scheidler says, as reported by Reuters. Six others were also treated for minor injuries, he added.
In the same report, city spokesman William Boyer said, "We do not know why the tree fell. It's under investigation." He added that there was no immediate evidence that would prove the prolonged drought to be a factor.
"Our hearts go out to the families of those injured as well as all those who witnessed this frightening incident. We wish everyone a speedy and complete recovery," Kidspace CEO, Michael Shanklin, told KABC-TV.
"I am extremely proud of our Kidspace staff, members of the community, and the first responders from the City of Pasadena for their quick thinking and help getting everyone to safety and ensuring everyone was accounted for. We are constantly reviewing our safety protocols and procedures and I am confident that diligence helped minimize injuries and save lives."
The Kidspace Children's Museum plans to resume regular operations on Wednesday.
