Brighton couple calls 7 Action News for help after high winds leave large tree resting on DTE cables

BRIGHTON, MI (WXYZ) - It was a Brighton couple's backyard nightmare. The only thing keeping an old oak, estimated to weigh about three tons, from possibly crashing into the backside of a neighbor's house was a set of cables used to stabilize a pole belonging to DTE.

Strong winds from last week's Superstorm Sandy left the tree resting on the two cables that are not electrified, but if ripped down could not only send the tree crashing into a house, the domino-effect could rip down nearby live wires.

The oak is on Nichole Gierer's property and she says she would have paid to have the tree removed from the wires and hauled away days ago, but there was only one problem. "DTE has told me I cannot touch the tree because it's on DTE wires," said Gierer.

The DTE representative working with the couple for about a week now told 7 Action News that the hilly terrain has made removing the tree difficult, calling it "a real stumper" of a problem. And despite telling the couple that they were working on the problem, Chris and Nichole thought it was only a matter of time before the wires snapped and the tree came crashing down. So, they called 7 Action News.

We made a couple phone calls to DTE and, in less than an hour, the utility company sent three large trucks and a tree trimming crew to take care of the potential hazard.