Landslide destroys houses, forces evacuations in L.A. neighborhood

A massive landslide forced the evacuation of 12 homes in the Rolling Hills Estates area of Los Angeles County late Saturday night and the land beneath them continues to give way. Several homes have now been "completely destroyed," according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn. 

Hahn says the "major landslide" remains a threat to multiple homes along Peartree Lane adjacent to the canyon, all of which were evacuated by order of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. They expect the homes in the gated community, south of downtown Los Angeles. to continue crumbling under the constant movement of the land beneath them. 

Officials believe more homes may be at risk as they continue to survey the situation. 

During the initial investigation, which started Saturday afternoon, crews located cracks in several of the homes. Video posted by the L.A. County Fire Department on Sunday showed visible damage to houses and large gaps in the ground below.

HOMES THREATENED by sliding hillside | FS106 | Pear Tree Ln #RollingHillsEstates | #LACoFD units were on scene monitoring situation. 12 homes evacuated. pic.twitter.com/ruXIhKD82m

It remains unclear when the land began to give way. Sixteen residents were given about 20 minutes to pack up and evacuate Saturday.

Geologists will be surveying the land to determine the cause. 

"It's land movement, and the land movement could be based on the excessive rains we had, or it could be some other thing that we're not aware of yet," said Pete Goodrich with the Los Angeles County Department of Building and Safety. 

Los Angeles Sheriff's Department patrols will monitor the area "to ensure the evacuated homes are secure," Hahn said. 

"You can hear it, it's 'snap, crackle, pop' every minute that you're walking by these homes as each rod and garage and roof are moving and cracking and falling," Hahn said a a news conference Monday. "It's happening very quickly."

The 12 affected homes have been red-tagged. 

"They've moved almost 20 feet since last night, and homes that I saw last night are now gone," Hahn said.

"There's nothing we can do to prevent any more movement. Everyone is pretty much in a wait-and-see mode. We're waiting for all these homes to just meet their final resting spot somewhere in the ravine below," she continued

The street was blocked off and electricity in the area was turned off. Gas crews dug up the road and were investigating any potential threats to the system or other homes. 

"I guess there is a bigger picture for the homes in the area. A lot of them are situated on a similar type of landscaping. But for now, it is great to see all of the community resources mobilized to help these people and we just hope they are OK," said Nicholas Riegels, a Rolling Hills Estates resident. 

The street was blocked off and electricity in the area was turned off. Gas crews dug up the road and were investigating any potential threats to the system or other homes. 

"It's moving quickly," Hahn said. "There's nothing to do to stop it, and it's the most shocking, surreal thing I have ever seen, and I know the families that live there are devastated." 

Rolling Hills Estates is located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, about 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. 

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