Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry A large branch fell off a tree at 60 N. State St., North Warren, during heavy rains Wednesday afternoon, taking out power and utility lines.

Steady and heavy rains on Wednesday didn’t agree with an old tree on North State Street in North Warren.

More than an inch of rain fell during a few hours Wednesday afternoon, according to information from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Jenny Weber and Carla Steinhauser were sitting on the front porch of Weber’s home shortly after 4:30 p.m. as workers from Penelec checked on the damage and the wires around the house.

When asked if they had been around when the damage occurred, they said, “We were standing right here when it came down.”

Shortly before 4 p.m. they thought maybe they should leave.

“I kept hearing branches hitting my car,” Steinhauser said.

Weber’s response was, “I wonder if that tree is falling,” she said.

The tree — at least 4 feet in diameter — did not fall, but an 18- to 20-inch branch on the south side broke free. It crashed to the ground taking power and cable lines with it, just grazing one of the two vehicles in the driveway, while missing the other.

At that point, it was too late to leave — the vehicles were trapped by the branches.

The fall pulled on the lines hard enough to snap the utility pole just north of the tree in half.

Power was knocked out briefly in areas of North Warren and longer in the immediate area of the damage.

The North Warren Volunteer Fire Department responded and the reduced that section of State Street to one lane of traffic.