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The scene where a tree fell and injured five people at an Ojai elementary school on Sept. 25, 2017. (Credit: KTLA)
The scene where a tree branch fell and injured five people at an Ojai elementary school on Sept. 25, 2017. (Credit: KTLA)

Five people were injured — with one adult and one student suffering critical injuries — after a 25-foot branch from a large elm tree fell down at an elementary school in Ojai, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

The incident happened at Topa Topa Elementary School in the 900 block of Mountain View Avenue at about 1:15 p.m., Capt. Stan Ziegler of the Fire Department said. The critically injured person who was airlifted was taken to a local trauma center, he said, and the other critically injured person was transported to a trauma center by ground ambulance.

Of the other three injured people, two suffered moderate injuries while the other person was treated at the scene, a public information officer for the Ventura County Fire Department said.

The tree branch that fell was 25 feet long and eight inches in diameter, the officer said, and the tree itself will be removed immediately. The fire official said it is common for tree branches to fall in Ojai due to the drought, and a tree can even appear healthy on the outside and still fall.

The fire department had initially tweeted that two of the three less serious injuries were moderate and one was minor — before updating this information in a tweet at 4:03 p.m.

Ziegler did not provide more information about the identities of any of the victims or any details about the nature of their injuries. Authorities have also not released any information about how the tree fell.

KTLA’s Jennifer Thang and Meghan McMonigle contributed to this article.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

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