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An 'iconic' Austinmer palm tree has fallen victim to the wild weather that continues to lash the Illawarra on Tuesday.
Emergency crews were initially called to Austinmer Street about 7.40am after winds downed an overhead power line near Austinmer Public School.
‘‘As the fire truck had parked out the front to assess that situation ... one of the fire brigade officers took a step and the palm tree literally just fell in front of him,’’ resident Michelle Klohs told the Mercury.
‘‘It just missed the fire officer, he was just a step behind it.’’
Mrs Klohs estimated the ‘‘huge tree’’, which was on her nature strip, to be about 80 years old.
‘‘It was quite iconic as you came around the corner of Austinmer Street,’’ she said. ‘‘Obviously with the earth being so sodden and with the wind it’s just fallen onto the road.
‘‘It’s changed the landscape of the street with it gone, you come ‘round the corner and it’s not going to be there.
‘‘It was on a bit of a lean, like a little tropical oasis ... now it’s just a hole in the ground.’’
The downed tree and power lines caused no disruption to classes at the school.