A large tree was completely uprooted as it fell onto two low-rise buildings in the West End on Thursday afternoon.
The catalpa tree fell on Nelson Street near Gilford shortly after 4 p.m. It crashed into two buildings, shattering several windows.
Paramedics confirmed that no one was injured in the incident, and city crews have been called to remove the tree.
A woman who was home at the time said the building didn't shake, but the noise was so loud that it sounded like "the pieces of the universe were coming apart."
Neighbours told CTV News that they were worried about the tree falling, and had complained to the city before.
Vancouver director of parks operations Howard Norman said the uprooting was a "complete surprise."
He said he'd heard that there had been complaints to the city that the tree's branches were drooping, but didn't have more information at the time. He said the city would be looking into it "first thing."
Norman estimated that the tree was approximately 60 years old, based on its size. He said the tree and its roots both appeared to be healthy.
"Every once in a while, a tree will come down, a branch will come down. That's just part of nature," Norman said.
