There's another tragic incident regarding trees falling after a girl died when a tree fell on their home in Oregon. The girl was a daughter of a firefighter.
KGW reported the girl was identified as 8-year-old Zaylee Schlecht. North Lincoln Fire and Rescue said crews were dispatched at 11:13 p.m. on Tuesday as they received a call about a tree that fell on a home and a girl was trapped inside. The home was in Otis.
Two adults and four children were inside the residential property where the tree fell and Schlecht was in a bedroom with another girl. Aside from Schlecht, no other person was hurt in the incident.
A woman named Pam Farrar said that she had the children at her home when the tree fell and told them that their sister will be okay. She noted that she heard the tree crash and her home shook.
Farrar added she then heard the mother of the children screaming for someone to call 911 as she was crying and talking about one of her kids being trapped under the tree. Schlecht was still taken to a hospital but did not survive her injuries.
Zaylee was the daughter of Ryan Schlecht, who is a volunteer firefighter for the North Lincoln Fire and Rescue. He was not at the home when the tree fell as he was working but what was so tragic was the fact that he was among those who responded to the call regarding his daughter being trapped.
North Lincoln Fire & Rescue Captain Jim Kusz said in a statement that he knows Ryan very well. Kusz added there has been "a great outpouring, from school districts, sheriff's office, and everyone else to get together and see what we can do to handle this." A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help the family with the funeral costs.
ABC News reported that high winds were considered a factor in the tree falling incident. Around 18 firefighters responded to the scene and used chainsaws to cut through the tree. It was estimated that the tree was around 70 feet high and 42 inches wide. The downing of the tree also brought down power lines and other smaller trees in the area.
The Lincoln County School District will also have counselors available at Taft Elementary School, where Zaylee attended her third-grade education. The counselors will be available on Thursday.
