Visitors briefly trapped in Agatha Christie's former home

In a moment of literary irony, visitors found themselves stranded at Greenway House, where the crime novelist once lived, when a fallen tree blocked the road.

In "And Then There Were None", the classic Agatha Christie novel, 10 people are invited to a mansion on a remote island, cut off from the rest of the world. A mystery follows.

Life somewhat imitated art on Friday when a large tree fell on a single-lane road in the southwestern coastal town from Brixham in Great Britain, trapping several people for a few hours at Greenway House, the former holiday home of Christie, the author of dozens of best-selling detective novels who died in 1976.

The National Trust, the conservation nonprofit that oversees Greenway House, said in a statement Friday that the fallen tree "blocks all traffic entering or leaving the area."

"We are working closely with the police and the highways to resolve this issue as quickly as possible," the National Trust said. "We are aware that there are still visitors, staff and volunteers at Greenway unable to leave and we are doing everything we can to make sure they are comfortable while we all wait. We appreciate everyone's patience during this time."

At the end of "And Then There Were None", all of the mansion's guests have passed away. However, luckily for those trapped at Greenway House, the road was reopened in the evening, allowing visitors to leave, the National Trust said in a later update.

It was unclear exactly how many people were at Christie's former home, which is open for tours and overnight stays, when the tree fell.DevonLive, a British media outlet which provided live updates on the incident, reported that more than 100 people were trapped.

Caroline Heaven, who was in Greenway for a day trip on Friday, told DevonLive that she arrived at 11:30 a.m. and was stuck for hours.

"It's really too bad," Ms. Heaven told the news outlet. “They are doing a great job. They give us free teas and stuff. It's a bit dark."

Greenway House may not have been just a vacation home. It was also an inspiration for the novel from Christie's "Dead Man's Folly" starring Hercule Poirot, in which a crime writer organizes a fake "murder hunt" on the grounds of a country house.

Social media leaned into the irony of being stuck in the prolific mystery novelist's house.

Several Twitter users started the countdown, " 99, 98, 97, 96, 94 (grisly), 93… in an apparent reference to “And Then There Were None.”

Marguerite Kenner wrote on Twitter that people in the house should "IMMEDIATELY IMPLEMENT A GAMING SYSTEM!"

Devon and Cornwall Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. to the National Trust. The house is filled with Christie's heirlooms, including items from her childhood home and her Steinway piano, the organization said.

The house also has a library of 5,000 books, including some by Christie, according to the National Trust.