Massive tree falls through Tujunga home; residents displaced

TUJUNGA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A home in Tujunga is now in need of extensive repairs after a massive tree pierced through the roof during Thursday's fierce Santa Ana wind event.

It happened around 10:30 a.m., just as the powerful winds were sweeping through Southern California. The homeowners said the family's gardener was the one who broke the news.

"He called me, I was going to the job, he says, 'Bobby, something happened. A tree fell on the roof of your house,'" said Bobby Mehdikhanian. "First of all, I said I was glad no one was home. That's the first thing I was thinking."

Video shared by the Mehdikhanian family shows the damage left behind. You can see a completely uprooted tree on top of a home and a large portion of the roof caved in. The tree went through just one side of the home on Dos Rios Drive, destroying furniture and personal items.

"They said it sounded like it was just cutting through, basically, through the dry wall," said homeowner Talitha Mehdikhanian. "They said it was really loud."

AIR7 HD captured aerial footage of the damage, which showed just how large the tree is.

"When I got here, I was like, 'Wow. That's insane," said Talitha. The family is now staying with relatives as they wait to fully assess the damage.

That damage provided a glimpse of what the strong gusts could leave behind across the region.

A wind advisory is in effect in the Santa Clarita and western San Fernando valleys, and in part of the San Gabriel Mountains. Some areas could see gusts as high as 75 miles per hour.

Meanwhile, flooding and strong rip currents could be a problem along the coast during the strong wind event.

The windy conditions are expected to reach their peak strength Thursday, but will last through Friday.

City News Service contributed to this report.