Balboa Park Closed Due to Damaging Winds, Woman Injured

The strong Santa Ana winds forced city officials in San Diego to close Balboa Park Thursday.

The decision to close the entire park came after a 30-year-old woman was injured when a large eucalyptus tree fell and struck her near Balboa Drive and El Prado Thursday morning. Police say she suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The city says dozens of large trees fell in the park with a risk of more doing so and that's why the decision was made to shut down Balboa Park for the day.

The Balboa Park golf course, Presidio park and Chollas Lake also were closed to the public Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the San Diego Zoo told KOGO News the zoo did not close and was not having any problems related to the strong winds and would remain open during its normal operating hours.

City crews were working to remove fallen tree limbs and branches that were blocking streets and walkways. Some street lights were also being affected by the high winds.

The city says Balboa Park would remain closed until it was deemed safe for the public. He says it could take several days for crews to remove all the fallen trees and repair any other damage.

A city spokesman says it's believed to be the first time in modern history that Balboa Park was completely closed due to winds.

(Photo reporting partner 10News)


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