A Sydney couple are counting their blessings after a massive gumtree smashed into their kitchen while they were taking an afternoon nap.
Keli Ou and May Sun were in the bedroom of their home in Eastwood, in Sydney’s north-west, on Sunday when they heard a loud crashing sound.
The couple were horrified to find a massive tree from next-door had ripped through the walls of their home and destroyed their kitchen, deck, yard and clothesline.
‘I was so scared,’ Ms Sun told 9News, revealing they could have been killed if they had decided to have afternoon tea in the kitchen instead of a nap.
Upon hearing the loud crash, the couple’s neighbour Yin Huang rushed outside and yelled out to make sure they were okay.
Ms Huang claims she first notified the Ryde City Council about the unstable tree over a year ago and was initially told it was ‘tenable’.
She made a second bid to have the tree removed last October – which was rejected – and sent photos of large cracks in its trunk in May and November of this year.
On Friday, the council asked Ms Huang to resubmit an application to have the tree inspected – but 48 hours later it was too late.
‘We applied in January 2023 and it was rejected,’ she said.
‘We request for review. It’s been rejected again.’
Both Ms Huang and her neighbours had become so worried about the tree that they opted to stay inside during wild weather in the fear of being hurt.
A spokesman for Ryde City Council said ‘the tree, which is on private land, was previously assessed as being acceptable for retention in accordance with industry accepted methodologies’.
‘When the tree owner raised concerns about a change in its health and condition last week, they were advised that a new application for an inspection was needed and unfortunately the tree failed prior to any subsequent inspection being carried out.’
The couple will stay in a hotel while the wreckage is removed from their home before working out who will pay the hefty damage bill.
Daily Mail has contacted Ryde City Council for further comment.