Three people injured when tree crashes in El Cerrito park

EL CERRITO, Calif. (KGO) -- Three people were injured in El Cerrito this weekend when a tree came crashing down at a child's birthday party. It happened Saturday at Arlington Park, which is a popular spot for families.

The tree was enormous and about 100 feet tall. A branch hit a 90-year-old man in the head and he suffered a concussion. The child's 87-year-old great grandmother had cuts to her legs.

Monday, the picnic area was closed off so crews could cut down most of the tree, which could not be saved.

Sean Moler, who was throwing the party for his 2-year-old daughter, said the tree looked healthy, but suddenly snapped above the roots.

"You have to wonder because of the drought if this is just something that's going to continue happening. And I think that was our main concern after we realized that all of us were going to be OK," Moler said.

Monday night Moler attended a community discussion about removing trees for fire prevention. He wants the city to search for drought-stricken trees and remove them.