A child was tragically killed Wednesday at a summer camp in Calabasas.
The eight-year-old boy died after a tree branch weighing several hundred pounds fell, fatally injuring him and hurting four others at King Gillette Ranch.
Witnesses say they heard a loud crack before the huge branch came down upon the group gathered around a picnic table.
The boy was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead, while a 10-year-old girl suffered a broken leg and another child and two other adults were also injured.
The children were attending Camp Wildcraft at the ranch, which had moved to the location from Malibu after the Palisades Fire.
One neighbor expressed sadness after the accident, saying that the camp had moved to the ranch after one tragedy, just to suffer another yesterday.
King Gillette Ranch occupies 588 acres of parkland off Las Virgenes Road and Mulholland Highway. It was originally the summer home of the razor magnate King C. Gillette, designed by renowned architect Wallace Neff. It is now operated by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, who host educational and entertainment events on the site. Joseph T. Edmiston, executive officer of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, said, “My heart goes out to the family at this overwhelming and devastating loss.”
The incident is under investigation and King Gillette Ranch remained closed to the public Thursday.
