Woman seriously injured after tree collapses on Langford mobile home

A woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries after a large tree crashed down onto two mobile homes in Langford, B.C., on Monday night.

The incident happened around 9 p.m. in the Hidden Valley Mobile Home Park on Florence Lake Road.

Park residents tell CTV News they heard a loud crash and then lost electricity.

"We were just finishing watching our shows at 9 o'clock, just getting ready to go to bed, and we heard a great big loud crack," said Juli Perrin, a resident of the park.

Perrin's husband exited their home and saw the toppled tree, as well as hydro lines arcing in the air.

"And he said, 'Oh, I think it's down by the creek,' and he was hoping that it didn't hit anybody's home down there," said Perrin.

Unfortunately, the tree did land across two homes, seriously injuring one woman.

The incident happened around 9 p.m. in the Hidden Valley Mobile Home Park on Florence Lake Road. (CTV News)

'INCHES AWAY FROM HER'

Two homes were damaged, but one was hit harder by the tree than the other.

An occupant of the home that was less damaged, who was uninjured after the tree fell, called 911 and Langford Fire Rescue arrived soon after.

"We found that there was a second trailer that had more significant damage to it and that the resident was unaccounted for," said Langford Fire Rescue Chief Chris Aubrey.

Firefighters went to the second home and began calling out to see if anyone was inside.

"We heard her faintly replying that she was inside so once that happened, we upgraded our response," said Aubrey.

Crews managed to get inside the home, which the tree had nearly bisected, and found a woman still sitting in her chair, trapped under tree branches and debris from her home.

"She was very fortunate, the trunk came down just inches away from her," said the fire chief.

The woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries, according to firefighters.

Areas of the park were still without power Tuesday morning while workers were on scene to remove the tree.

The incident happened around 9 p.m. in the Hidden Valley Mobile Home Park on Florence Lake Road. (CTV News)

Other parts of the island were not spared from this week's storm.

A tree fell over Burnside Road in Victoria on Monday, and another tree fell on a Nanaimo family's home, sending a branch straight through a hallway ceiling.

"I felt the house shake and I heard dad yelling, 'Get down the stairs,'" said Nanaimo resident Eden Westmacott.

According to BC Hydro, thousands of people lost power Vancouver Island and nearby Gulf Islands on Monday.

"We had about 19,000 customers out at the peak," said BC Hydro spokesperson Ted Olynyk.

About 2,000 residents were still without power in the island region on Tuesday afternoon, though BC Hydro crews worked through the night and continue to tackle repairs.

Olynyk says recent weather events – such as last year's heat dome and extreme rain – have caused trees to weaken, making them more vulnerable to wind storms.

"Unfortunately we’re going to see more of these events and we’re going to have to all adapt to it," he said.