A 120-year-old oak tree came crashing down across Terri and Joe Simeona’s back fence late last month, forever changing their Cardinet Drive backyard and leaving dozens of squirrels and at least one hawk homeless.

About midnight on Jan. 20, after a series of storms had pounded the area with rain and high winds, the creek bank under the tree gave way and the 88-foot tall behemoth fell toward their house – crushing pool equipment and damaging the landscaping. It narrowly missed the bedroom where they were sleeping.

“We really didn’t hear anything,” said Terri Simeona. “But my husband has a kind of sense about things and he got up to look outside. All he said was, ‘Honey, oh my God.’ ”

Huge branches had landed 12 inches from their bedroom door. “It’s like losing a family member,” said Terri. “This is where I centered myself; this is where our family lived all summer long,” she said, sadly surveying the gaping hole where the tree once stood, providing privacy and shade.

“The squirrels are really confused,” she said of their displacement. “They’ve been running back and forth across the tree for days, looking for their nests.”

“I only saw the hawk once, the day after the tree fell,” said Joe Simeona. “I haven’t seen her since. She lived there for years.”

The family won’t know the full extent of the damage until the tree is cut up and hauled away. They have spoken to a woodworking artist who has volunteered to clear the tree in exchange for the wood. “He promised to make us something from the tree, maybe a bowl or an end table,” said Terri.

The Simeonas have lived at 6001 Cardinet Dr. since 1992. When they moved in, the tree was estimated to be 100 years old, according to real estate documents. The trunk measured 44 inches in diameter.

This is the second time the family has narrowly escaped serious harm by falling trees. Several years ago, a 100-foot eucalyptus tree came down on the creek bank at the back of their property. But that tree fell away from the house, across the Cardinet Trail.