Landslide damages multiple homes in posh LA neighborhood, 1 home collapses: See photos

Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY
Updated

A house under renovation in Los Angeles was reduced to rubble following a landslide that also damaged two other homes in the area, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The slide occurred just before 3 a.m. Wednesday in Sherman Oaks, a posh neighborhood about 12 miles northwest of downtown, said the LAFD, adding that no injuries were reported.

"Crews arrived to find a large portion of a hillside that slid down toward at least three homes, and heavily damaging one home under construction," said the LAFD in a news release. "Several people have been evacuated from at least one of the homes."

Video footage and pictures from the incident shows the house under construction completely destroyed while the pool and deck area of a house next door were pulled away by the slide.

Landslide photos: California mansion sits on edge of a cliff after after Dana Point landslide

An aerial view shows a property, bottom, damaged by a landslide, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles.
An aerial view shows a property, bottom, damaged by a landslide, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles.
Recent heavy rains may have played a role in the landslide and several residents have been evacuated.
Recent heavy rains may have played a role in the landslide and several residents have been evacuated.
An aerial view shows a property damaged by a landslide, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles.
An aerial view shows a property damaged by a landslide, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles.
An aerial view shows a landslide which destroyed one home and damaged two others in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood on March 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
An aerial view shows a landslide which destroyed one home and damaged two others in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood on March 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
An aerial view of people walking near a landslide that destroyed two homes and damaged another residence in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood on March 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
An aerial view of people walking near a landslide that destroyed two homes and damaged another residence in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood on March 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Homes red-tagged

The LAFD did not specify what caused the landslide but said that firefighters used pumps to "remove water from a swimming pool in the area to take some additional weight and stress off of the hillside," indicating that the landslide may have been caused due to the heavy winter storms that struck the area last month, saturating the ground.

An aerial view shows a property damaged by a landslide, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles.
An aerial view shows a property damaged by a landslide, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles.

The fire department said that the “Department of Building and Safety is responding to assess the structures and hillsides,” later updating that two homes were red-tagged while one was yellow-tagged.

Homes in California can be red-tagged by the city or other government entities if they are deemed unsafe to occupy.

Since January 1st, downtown Los Angeles has received nearly twice its average amount of rainfall by this time of year while the city had reported close to 600 mudslides by early February.
Since January 1st, downtown Los Angeles has received nearly twice its average amount of rainfall by this time of year while the city had reported close to 600 mudslides by early February.
An aerial view shows a pool remaining above a large fissure after a landslide destroyed one home and damaged two others in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood on March 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
An aerial view shows a pool remaining above a large fissure after a landslide destroyed one home and damaged two others in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood on March 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Record rainfall in Los Angeles

Los Angeles received an unprecedented amount of rainfall earlier this year in a 1-in-1,000-year rain event, causing multiple landslides and mudslide and putting the city under a flash flood warning. Several multimillion dollar houses in the Hollywood Hills were damaged as mud, rocks and debris oozed and rolled through the area on Feb. 5.

Record rain in California also gave birth to a temporary lake in Death Valley National Park's Badwater Basin, which lies 282 feet below sea level. A deluge of storms since August led to the lake's formation at the park at one of the hottest, driest and lowest-elevation places in North America, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

'1-in-1,000 year rain' event: State of emergency due to floods, mudslides in California

Contributing: John Bacon, Thao Nguyen, Doyle Rice, Kayla Jimenez, Eric Lagatta USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Los Angeles landslide damages homes in Sherman Oaks: See photos

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