News

Downed tree plunges downtown into darkness

By Bill Moss, Published: August 23, 2023

A large hardwood tree fell across South Church Street after sundown Monday night, taking down power lines and plunging downtown into darkness as diners were sitting down to eat and shoppers were browsing in shops.

The tree in the narrow front yard of the old Thos. Shepherd & Son Funeral Directors, now Church Street Funeral & Cremation, fell directly across the busy one-way street, sparing the funeral home but causing plenty of problems for downtown businesses. The blackout affected Church, Main and King from Allen Street to Sixth Avenue.

“There was a lot calls,” Hendersonville Fire Chief D. James Miller said. “All of downtown was absolutely pitch black. People were coming out of restaurants and were leaving stores,” many using their cellphones to light their way. “I know we had Church Street blocked for four or five hours.”

It was the second time in 11 days that a large old hardwood came down in clear conditions, took down power lines and blocked a busy road. On Aug. 11, a large oak tree fell across Greenville Highway, blocking that road for hours and causing power outages. As in the Greenville Highway case, Miller said he had no idea what caused the Church Street tree to come down.

“I would think some of the storm would have cleared out all the deadwood but apparently it did not,” he said.

Chae Davis, manager of the Church Street funeral home, said security camera footage showed that there was “no wind, no breeze, nothing. It just fell over.”

“The building was fine,” she said. “It just gave up the ghost. It looked pretty hollow when they went to cut it up. It was pretty old. It had been trimmed a few times. The fire department told me the root system was pretty much gone. We were kind of sad to lose it.”