A eucalyptus fell on a woman in Balboa Park amid gusty Santa Ana winds

A woman was injured Thursday morning when a eucalyptus tree fell in Balboa Park and landed on her due to gusty Santa Ana winds.

The incident happened around 8 a.m. near the intersection of Balboa Drive and El Prado. There, a tree approximately 80-90 feet tall was uprooted and lay on its side as spectators stared at the tree. Footage from the scene shows that at least one ambulance and a stretcher were also seen at the scene.

According to the San Diego Police Department, the woman suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident.

“We are in awe,” said Jeff Davidson, who was walking with a friend in the area at the time. “I mean, we literally went down, turned around and came in, and then we saw this. I told my friend, I said, ‘That could have been you.'”

The downed tree came as winds were expected in parts of San Diego County. Coastal communities and deserts will remain under watch until 10 p.m. Thursday as northeasterly winds are expected to increase from 15 to 25 mph, with some isolated gusts up to 75 mph, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). .

The NWS warns that these Santa Ana winds could cause power outages. Windy conditions have already canceled classes at the Mountain Empire Unified School District for Thursday and overturned two large oil rigs on Interstate 8.

For a more detailed look at the forecast for the first alert, click here.