Kambah resident escapes flat after falling tree brings down power lines

Standing at three- to four-storeys high, Jess MacLeod said the tree came down on the roof of a unit on her property on Mannheim Street about 7pm on Saturday night.

A hail storm concealed the sound of it falling, but the sight of it was unmissable, Ms MacLeod said.

"We phoned our tenant straightaway and she was phoning us and she got out."

The woman who resides in the flat said she was inside filming the hail storm when the tree came down suddenly.

"I was actually recording the hail and turned around and it was just this almighty crash, and the tree I mean ... it was frightening."

"No warning of the tree going, didn't hear anything, just got the full force of the tree."

The tree had collapsed the roof in parts, but the woman said her greatest concern was the electricity from fallen powerlines.

"Thankfully I had some decent shoes on, decent rubber-soled shoes. Otherwise, I probably would have been electrocuted because there was water and electricity and they don't mix well," she said.

"I just panicked and found the easiest way out, but as I was pushing the awning up [to get out] ... you could feel the buzzing of the electricity I was rather glad to get out of there."

An Evoenergy spokesperson confirmed a crew attended the site at 11.18pm on Saturday, and the power was isolated by 1.03am.

Ms MacLeod said she had submitted three to four complaints about the tree and the risk it posed to the ACT government. Her neighbour, on whose property the tree stood, said he also wanted it removed.

"Each time we've done that, to their credit someone comes and has a look, but then arborists come and just trim a few limbs off just so that it doesn't go on the power line," Ms MacLeod said.

An ACT government spokesperson said they were responding to a "large number of requests for assistance in relation to fallen trees and other debris associated with the storms".

"Tree crews are working as fast as possible to address all requests for assistance, with priority being given to issues which pose an immediate threat to safety."

The tenant said she was still in shock: "I didn't sleep last night because when that storm came over again with the almighty claps of thunder ... at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning here, as you can understand I was probably a bit nervous."

"The sad part about it is my little unit copped the lot," she said.

Hail on Saturday and storms continuing into Sunday resulted in 301 calls for assistance to ACT's emergency services by Sunday evening, with crews working across the weekend to clear fallen trees and make repairs across Canberra.

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