Homes smashed by trees, fires sparked on power lines on Gold Coast

A family on the Gold Coast were minutes from tragedy when a giant gum tree fell through their house.

The Ashmore residents were playing Uno when the tree fell through their home about 7.30pm.

Raul, the home's owner of seven years, was at work in a hospital emergency ward when the tree came down.

READ MORE: Alfred downgraded but 260,000 homes without power, flooding fears persist

"Literally just five minutes before this all happened we were all sitting there…playing Uno, having the time of our lives" they told 9News.

Images from inside showed the wreckage, with insulation dislodged and the ceiling shattered.

Power to the home has been cut off, forcing the family to find somewhere else to stay tonight.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred weakened to category 1 late last night before it was downgraded to a tropical low this morning, but is still expected to bring heavy rainfall.

Elsewhere on the Gold Coast, falling trees cut power and sparked an electrical fire.

Footage posted to social media showed the moment the downed power lines sparked a small explosion.

Electricity could be seen arcing across the downed lines.

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