Storm topples massive tree in Inglewood neighborhood, crushing car and damaging home

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- Strong wind and heavy rain conspired to topple a massive tree in an Inglewood neighborhood Friday night, crushing a car and damaging a nearby home.

The tree, which stood in a street median in the 200 block of North Hillcrest Boulevard, came down shortly after 10 p.m. No injuries were reported.

The base of the tree trunk and its sprawling network of roots measured more than 15 feet in diameter, and on Saturday morning it towered over a 5-foot-8-inch tall ABC7 reporter as she stood next to it.

The southbound side of Hillcrest Boulevard remained closed to traffic as the tree remained on top of the car that it had crumpled like an aluminum can the nigh before.

As the tree fell, it knocked over another tree and both landed on the house, causing damage to the roof that led to flooding inside the structure. The home was later deemed uninhabitable.

Flooding prompted the closure of all lanes on the 5 Freeway in Atwater Village as a major winter storm continued to dump several inches of rain in the area.

The incident occurred after a powerful winter storm that swept down the West Coast with flooding and frigid temperatures shifted its focus to Southern California, swelling rivers to dangerous levels and dropping snow in even low-lying areas around Los Angeles.

The National Weather Service said it was one of the strongest storms to ever hit the region and even as the volume of wind and rain dropped, it continued to have significant impact including snowfall down to elevations as low as 1,000 feet.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.