1 dead, 1 injured from fallen tree branches in Santa Rosa as Bay Area hit by strong winds
One person was killed and another person was injured by fallen tree branches in the North Bay over the weekend, as the Bay Area was hit by strong winds.
According to Santa Rosa police, officers along with firefighters responded to more than 15 wind-related incidents that began at 3 p.m. Sunday and continued for several hours. Weather stations in the city recorded wind gusts exceeding 40 mph.
During the wind event, a man was struck by a fallen tree branch on the 800 block of Howard Street, between Orchard and Beaver streets, and suffered major injuries. The man was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
Police said the Sonoma County coroner's office will determine the man's official cause of death. The man's name has not been released.
In a separate incident, a 23-year-old woman suffered major injuries when she was struck by a tree branch on the 300 block of Steele Lane, near Steele Lane Elementary School. The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Other wind-related incidents reported in Santa Rosa on Sunday afternoon included downed trees, downed power lines, blown transformers and a tree falling onto a vehicle.
Winds continued to be strong across the Bay Area and Northern California on Monday, leading to power outages. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has implemented Public Safety Power Shutoffs impacting 4,700 customers in 15 counties in its service area.
As of 5 a.m. Monday, more than 13,000 PG&E customers were without power, with nearly 6,700 without power in the North Bay.
A wind advisory remains in effect for the North Bay interior mountains, Santa Cruz Mountains, eastern Santa Clara hills and East Bay hills through 11 a.m.