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Man says city wouldn’t let him remove tree that damaged home

Posted at 11:50 PM, Jun 25, 2012
and last updated 2012-06-26 02:35:26-04

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)--Eighteen months ago, Carl Archacki's home on Monument Avenue was almost destroyed after a small fire started in his garden shed and spread to the house. 

Archacki had completed the renovations and moved back in only two weeks ago.

This afternoon while at work, Archacki got a call from his alarm company warning him that a major intrusion was occurring at his home.

"And then a neighbor called and said, 'My gosh, the willow oak has just fallen on the sun room,’” said Archacki.  “The most frustrating thing of all of this is that I predicted this.”

He said the tree that has now busted through the roof of his new sunroom was on city property and had been leaning towards his house even before the storm Monday afternoon.

But he said he was told he would be fined if he tried to take it down himself.

 “I'm angry at the city for not giving the home owner and the tax paying citizens of this city the benefit of the doubt when their trying to not only improve their property but protect it,” Archacki says.

The next step, he says, is to begin to rebuild.

Monday’s storm last only a matter of minutes, but did enough damage to alarm Allstate Insurance.  They have sent extra claims adjusters to the area to help with the response.

Steve Shannon was at his home on Monument Avenue, and came outside after the storm cleared because he was curious about the loud crash he heard during it.

Shannon’s 74-year-old neighbor, Sally, was his first concern when he saw that a large tree had narrowly missed hitting her house.

Shannon immediately helped Sally call her insurance company to begin the removal of the tree that fell in her backyard.

“We took care of it, and it was just like a domino effect," said Shannon.

For more images of storm damage throughout Central Virginia, go to the photo gallery on our homepage: http://wtvr.com/2012/06/25/storm-damage-pictures/

For complete June 25 storm coverage, just click here: http://wtvr.com/tag/june-25-storm/