Framingham Woman Rescued by Neighbors After Massive Tree Falls on Her House

Neighbors rushed to help a Massachusetts woman on Sunday after a massive tree came crashing down on her home in Framingham while she was inside.

Crews were cutting the tree and clearing the damage after the incident, which happened on Rockridge Road just before 11 a.m.

Teddy Quintal is one of the woman's neighbors who rushed into help. He says he was having brunch when he was suddenly alarmed by "this great crashing sound."

"I was afraid," he said.

Quintal says he ran immediately.

"I was the first one on the scene. I ran around to the side of the house because you couldn’t get at the front there was so much debris there was such a big part of the tree that was there," he said. "I saw somebody moving inside and we had neighbors rushing up the street to try to get to that help as well."

Neighbors worked together to free the woman, who was trapped by the tree. Eventually they pried open the window and they managed to get her out through there, Quintal said.

Neighbors say the woman lives alone and they knew they had to help. Quintal says she has been the next-door neighbor for 20 years and is a "very nice, very gentle woman."

Witnesses say there was no storm, and the tree fell for no known reason.

"No warning at all," Quintal said. "There was no wind. There was no heavy rain. it just all of a sudden, it just popped loose and fell on the house."

The street was closed for a period of time because of the damage, and the power company was also called in to help.

Quintal says there was a significant amount of damage to the back of the house, which also includes the woman's kitchen.

Investigators are still trying to understand what triggered the tree to fall.

Quintal says he's shocked by the entire thing.

"I don’t know why this would happen in such a, such a moment of calmness," he said. "That’s what really got me."

Neighbors say they are just relieved it wasn't worse.

"I am certainly relieved,' Quintal said. "I think the whole neighborhood's relieved."

Crews say they plan to bring in a crane to remove the remainder of the tree that was still on the roof Sunday night.