Twelve families had to leave their houses in Los Angeles County after a landslip destroyed a neighbourhood and caused the homes to slump and collapse.
Around 4 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, residents of a posh gated enclave along Peartree Lane in the city of Rolling Hills Estates, California, felt the ground shifting under their houses.
Before deciding to issue an evacuation order, fire officials, police, and other first responders arrived rapidly. 16 people from Rolling Hills Estates had to leave the area because of the approaching landslip.
Just a day later, photos from Peartree Lane show collapsing homes, caved-in garages, and shattered driveways.
Officials now believe the homes are likely to fall into an adjacent canyon.
‘Significant land movement overnight has completely destroyed the homes along a canyon on Peartree Lane here in Rolling Hills Estates,’ Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said on Twitter after visiting the neighborhood on Sunday.
‘This is just devastating for these residents. My office is ready to offer any assistance we can provide to these families and the city,’ said Hahn, who is also chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
In an update posted on Monday, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said the landslide remains an ‘active situation,’ but has not threatened other parts of the city.
‘The outpouring of support from our community has been amazing over the past few days,’ Rolling Hills Estates Mayor Britt Huff said. ‘It has been truly inspiring to see how everyone is pulling together to offer assistance, especially to our displaced residents and their families.’
The mayor confirmed fire officials would remain on site to ‘assess and monitor the area.’ The neighborhood along Peartree Lane has been closed to the general public, and utilities to the area have been turned off.
Meanwhile, geologists are inspecting the neighborhood to determine what exactly caused the devastating landslide.
‘This neighborhood was built in 1978, and it’s been solid for 45 years,’ Mayor Huff told the Los Angeles Times. ‘So we’re very much in shock by what is happening here.’