A dozen homes in Rolling Hills Estates were evacuated Saturday night after the hillside started to give way, leaving major cracks and some of the houses visibly leaning. Authorities said Monday there’s nothing they can do to prevent the homes from completely collapsing.
Firefighters were sent to Peartree Lane about 4 p.m. on Saturday, where they discovered 12 hilltop homes slowly sliding into a canyon. About 16 people were evacuated and utilities were shut off to reduce the risk of fire.
“For the first time we had a complete house,” homeowner Katie Schwartz told KNX News’ Emily Valdez.”We touched everything in the house, bathrooms, because it was for our forever home.”
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said Monday morning that the hillside had moved another 20 feet overnight.
“The photos literally show these homes completely collapsing. It’s like they’re made of paper,” Hahn said. “They are actively crumbling, cracking, collapsing, and sliding down into this ravine.”
City and county officials said it’s too early to speculate on what caused the ground to shift, but soil experts will be sent in to investigate once the collapse is complete. They said they’re also monitoring other homes in the neighborhood for movement.
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