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Homeowners in a Surrey neighbourhood are angry about a house demolition that turned into a possible health hazard.

Jerome Bourgon said he saw landscapers trying to cut down a large tree on a property next to his.

“I could tell it wasn’t going well,” he said. “They were arguing.

“I told my girlfriend, ‘Get out of the house, get out of the house’ because they didn’t know which way [the tree] was going to fall.”

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The landscapers cut down the tree, which crushed a home on the same Surrey property.

The owners had a permit to cut the tree down and the house was scheduled to be demolished.

WorkSafeBC issued a stop work order. Although the home was slated for demolition, the owners didn’t remove all the asbestos first.

According to a statement, “WorkSafeBC continues to actively inspect this site and intends to hold the landscaping company, the home owner and the building contractor responsible for all potential violations of The Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.”

Bob Campbell of the West Panorama Ratepayers Association questioned how the landscapers went about felling the tree.

“The people that cut these trees know what they’re doing,” he said. “They know how to cut trees in tight areas… and they don’t cut them like that.”

He said that when forced to fell a tree in a tight space, professionals normally cut the tree into smaller chunks to prevent a big crash.

The contractor working on the home said they had nothing to do with the felling, but didn’t disclose the name of the landscapers.

Neighbours are now questioning the landscaper’s credentials.

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“Ten minutes later, all the equipment was wrapped, they were gone,” Bourgon said. “They just high-tailed it out of here.”

— With files from Tanya Beja