Tree falls during storm, grandmother killed

A woman was killed when a tree fell during a storm in Santa Rosa Tuesday night while her granddaughter played just feet away.

Gayle Falgoust, 70, visiting from Alabama, was crushed when an oak tree fell on her cabinlike tent at Safari West, a wildlife preserve north of Santa Rosa, authorities said. Her 7-year-old granddaughter was not injured.

Falgoust had been watching the child while the girl's parents were away from the camp, said Aphrodite Caserta, the camp's spokeswoman.

Falgoust was reading and relaxing in her wooden-floored tent during the blustery storm while her granddaughter played nearby, Caserta said. Both were members of a group excursion.

The 100-foot oak tree fell and a Burlingame man and his son heard the crash from their neighboring tent and raced outside.

Using scissors, they freed the girl from the canvas of the collapsed tent and stayed with Falgoust until authorities arrived, said Sonoma County Sheriff's Capt. Matt McCaffrey.

"Going in there was very brave," he said. "It was dark, rainy and windy. They had no idea what was going to happen, or if the tree was going to move."

Rescuers arrived at the scene at 9:05 p.m., about 15 minutes after they received the call that someone was trapped by a fallen tree, said Doug Williams, chief of the Rincon Valley Fire Department. Falgoust was pronounced dead a short time later.

Gusts of wind as high as 26 mph were reported in Santa Rosa, said Austin Cross, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"All of us at Safari West are devastated and have the utmost concern for the family," Caserta said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them."

The 400-acre wildlife preserve houses 400 exotic animals, including zebras and giraffes. It has tents and cottages where visitors can stay overnight, Caserta said.