Hundreds Lose Power After Tree Falls Near Malden Park

MALDEN, MA — A large tree fell near Amerige Park Sunday afternoon, taking down multiple utility poles and causing power outages.

The approximately 100-year-old tree fell near the intersection of Highland Avenue and Clifton Street, landing on a smaller tree before taking down utility poles and associated power lines. Nearly 300 National Grid customers initially lost power following the incident. No injuries were reported, and property damage was minimal.

According to National Grid, a large majority of customers impacted by the outage had their power restored by approximately 2 a.m. Fewer than five customers remained without power as of 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Malden Department of Public Works crews, police, National Grid, and Tree Warden Chris Rosa responded to the area Sunday to remove the tree and repair the damage. Utility crews worked overnight to replace the damaged poles and associated wires.

An inspection of the fallen tree revealed a carpenter ant infestation inside the trunk that was not visible from the outside, according to Ward 3 City Councilor Amanda Linehan. The tree had shown no signs of failure before falling, while its upper limbs appeared healthy and did not contain cavities.

"This was a freak accident and we are lucky did not happen during an event, the commute, or while kids were walking home from school tomorrow," Linehan said.

The city plans to examine the health of other trees in the area following the incident, particularly as Amerige Park is slated for improvements in the next year. Linehan said none of the surrounding trees currently show signs of infestation or disease.

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