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Six people were injured when a 90-year-old tree fell on top of a group celebrating a high school reunion on the western side of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
One of the people had to be pulled from underneath the tree after rescue crews arrived to George's Hill Drive, in the area of the Mann Music Center, around 12:20 p.m., Philadelphia Fire Department spokeswoman Kathy Matheson.
"I was standing right in front of that tent there, then all of a sudden all you heard was cracking," witness Fernando Davis told NBC10.
The victims were at the park for the annual West Philadelphia High School reunion when the tree fell on their tent, attendees who witnessed the incident told NBC10 at the scene.
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"We haven't had West Fest in two years, and we came and set up and had fun with all our alumni," class of '73 graduate Beverly Brown said.
The injured were 66 and 67 years old and all were in stable condition as they were being treated at local hospitals, the Philadelphia Police Department said.
A police officer was also injured when he tripped at the scene, police said. They were taken to the hospital and quickly released.
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"Thank God for the guys in the class who are firemen, they acted quickly," Brown said. "But we don't know why these things happen. But one thing for sure, these trees got to be checked out. Uprooted."
"The safety of park users is our highest priority," Philadelphia Parks & Rec department said Monday. "We prepare picnic sites seasonally, and inspect them weekly. Park supervisors inspect picnic areas for hazards, items in need of repair, and fallen or hanging tree branches. This picnic site was inspected within the last week."
Parks & Rec said the tree was an approximately 90-year-old white oak. A second oak tree, further into the wooded area, fell later Sunday evening, and also removed.
The classmates said it could have been much worse if this happened half an hour later.
"Thank God no one was killed because we were getting ready to start food at 1 o'clock. It would've been a long line," Brown said. "They would've been standing where the trunk of the tree was."
In 2009, a 23-year-old Philadelphia teacher died when a 30-foot long tree branch fell and killed her as she was running near Valley Green in Fairmount Park.
