Fallen tree shuts Highway 116 near Guerneville, snarling traffic

A large redwood tree fell across Highway 116 west of Guerneville Sunday afternoon, snarling busy weekend traffic for miles as crews struggled to remove the tree and restore power.

The tree came crashing down shortly after noon, pulling power and telephone lines with it onto the two-lane roadway, Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman said.

“It’s going to be a mess for a while,” Baxman said Sunday afternoon. “There’s a lot of irate people out there.”

Traffic had to be detoured around the area to Occidental, Baxman said.

Nearly 4,000 customers lost power in the area, PG&E spokesman J.D. Guidi said. All but 145 customers had power restored by 7:30 p.m. Full restoration was expected by 2 a.m., he said.

Crews weren’t able to begin removing the tree until around 5 p.m. because they had to wait until the power was rerouted around the scene, Baxman said.

There was no obvious cause of the tree’s collapse, such as a steep bank or high winds, leaving Baxman to surmise that it was rotten. He predicted the event would be repeated regularly this winter as rains return and the area’s trees become waterlogged.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.