A large tree split at the base and fell on four mobile homes in Moundsville Monday afternoon, significantly damaging them.

The tree fell suddenly in the AAA Mobile Home Park on Seventh Street around 12:55 p.m., while most of the homes’ residents were away at work.

There were no injuries reported and everyone that was home and their pets are safe, according to Marshall County EMA Director Tom Hart.

Hart said the tree appeared to be rotting from the inside and possibly dead. The tree split three ways, falling on the four homes in different directions.

AEP shut off power to the homes as a safety precaution.

An owner of what appears to be the most severely damaged home, Lewis Clark, said he heard a loud noise that he thought was a thunderstorm. He then walked outside and saw the tree had landed on the bathroom portion of his and his wife’s home, causing a portion of the bathroom ceiling and a wall to cave in.

Clark and other residents of the trailer park said they had long been concerned about the tree coming down and damaging property or posing a safety threat. Clark said he had surveyors inspecting the fallen tree just a day before the incident.

Clark, a carpenter, reworked the entire inside of the couple’s mobile home with tens of thousands of dollars worth of oak from the floors to the walls, ceilings and decor. Now, the home is unlivable for the time being.

Three other homes were also damaged from the tree falling. Residents are working on getting in touch with their insurance companies. Since the fallen tree is entirely on private property, it falls on the owners of the mobile homes to coordinate removal of the tree.

Salvation Army staff arrived at the trailer park around 1 p.m. to assess the scene and determine what kinds of aid might be beneficial for residents of the damaged mobile homes.

The Moundsville VFD, Marshall County EMS, AEP and Marshall County EMA and American Red Cross responded to the scene.