Man ‘trapped’ at home by fallen tree
A Timaru man was left ‘‘stuck’’ in his home, with no way off his property other than on foot, after a tree fell down in yesterday’s wild weather.
Ricky Hunter, 69, has lived at his property on Bouverie St for the last 17 years, and in Timaru all his life.
He said the tree had been in the area ‘‘ever since I can remember’’.
‘‘It’s a bit of a landmark, that tree.’’
The ‘‘massive’’ gumtree, which stood on the neighbouring property, fell at around 11am, completely blocking his driveway.
‘‘I have never seen rain like this,’’ he said. ‘‘I can’t do anything really.’’ Although he could access his property from Grants Rd, his cars were in the garage on the Bouverie St side. ‘‘I’m stuck,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t mind, though, if it doesn’t get clear today or tomorrow, but at some point.’’
However, by last night he had decided to take matters into his own hands.
‘‘I’m going to get my chainsaw out and cut a few branches so I can get out,’’ he said.
‘‘I never heard it come down, just saw it,’’ he said of the tree falling.
Hunter said he usually parked his campervan in the area of the driveway where the tree fell, and had only moved it closer to the house on Thursday, which turned out to be an inspired decision.
‘‘I only just moved it, which is lucky. It would have split campervan] in pieces,’’ he said.
Hunter said he had been in contact with the Timaru District Council, which had told him to contact the Housing New Zealand Corporation, [the which owned the neighbouring property.
He had been unable to reach them on Friday afternoon, before deciding he would use his chainsaw to cut his way out.