Mighty oak leaves Emilie Ave. powerless Mighty oak leaves Emilie Ave. powerless (March 24, 2004)

An Atherton neighborhood got a rude awakening last week when a venerable oak tree came crashing down, taking two utility poles and several other spans of wires with it.

The massive oak, which succumbed to an undetected case of root rot, knocked out power to 622 customers in Atherton and Menlo Park just before 5 a.m. on March 18, said PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno.

Power was restored to most customers in less than two hours, he said, but residents of the 46 houses nearest the tree on Emilie Avenue had to wait until the poles were repaired, an all-day job that lasted into the night.

A PG&E arborist estimated the 50-foot-tall tree was nearly 400 years old, and its trunk measured four feet in diameter at chest height, Mr. Moreno said.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.