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Family tragedy after tree falls on Annapolis home

Two healthy oak trees toppled without warning after a day of wind and rain. One man was killed and a mother and child were rescued.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A man is dead after a tree smashed into a home in Annapolis on Monday night.

His wife and child were rescued after being trapped, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. All three were in the same upstairs bedroom in a home on the 800 block of Holly Drive West.

The family was visiting the victim's parents, who escaped the home uninjured, authorities said. The victim's wife was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, the fire department reported.

Officials have not released the identity of the victims.

Authorities reported they received several calls from neighbors in the area as well as inside the home when the tree fell.

The tree that struck the home was one of a pair of oaks growing together on a neighboring property, according to arborist Dan Helgramen who inspected the scene after the tragedy.

Both trees fell together and without warning after a day of heavy rain and hours of sustained winds nearing 30 miles per hour with higher gusts, Helgramen said.

"They're oak trees under 100 years old and the root system seems to be healthy," Helgramen said, noting he was surprised the trees toppled.

"But the trees were top-heavy. They'd been limbed off raising the branch level," Helgramen explained. "All the weight was in the top so it was so wet, the water and the wind just took them down."

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