Falling tree sparks chain reaction, killing Muir Woods hiker, CA officials say

It was a Christmas Eve hike turned deadly.

A hiker died after a tree fell in Muir Woods National Monument in California on Dec. 24, according to Capt. Ben Ghisletta, Marin County fire captain.

The man has been identified as Subhradeep Dutta, 28, from Edina, Minnesota. He was walking on a trail with two other hikers, the Marin County coroner’s office and a park spokesman told ABC5.

The tree hit other trees, causing debris to hit him, Bay City News reported in The Mercury News.

“I initially thought it was like an earthquake or something. I had no idea. I had never heard a sound like that,” Alex Shepard, a hiker, told CBS SF Bay Area.

A second hiker, a woman, was injured and taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to Bay City News.

The National Park service is investigating the incident.

“These were visitors exactly where they are allowed to be,” Charles Strickfaden, a spokesman for the National Park Service, told CBS SF Bay Area. “It just seems to be an unfortunate, tragic event.”

The Hillside trail where the man died will remain closed until after the weekend but Muir Woods is open, according to NBC Bay Area.

“This is a very rare and isolated event that may have occurred due to wet ground, from recent winter storms, around the roots of the tree,” Muir Woods officials said in a statement to NBC Bay Area.

This story has been updated.

This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 7:56 AM.