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Los Angeles city crews are set to start clearing debris Wednesday in the Hollywood Hills after a landslide sent mud pouring into a neighborhood of mansions, officials said.
Two homes were red-tagged and two were yellow-tagged following the landslide which occurred around 5:30 p.m. Monday.
However a home owned by pop singer and actress Demi Lovato was not among those affected, according to Estevan Montemayor, director of communications for Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu, who represents the area.
The landslide took out one home’s backyard and sent mud pouring into the front yards of two other houses below. It also sent some dirt into Lovato’s driveway.
No injuries were reported as a result of the landslide, according to Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
“A large backyard of one home on Hillside Avenue slid downhill and across Laurel View Drive into the front yard of two homes,” Scott said.
About 50 firefighters, including an air unit, responded to the scene Monday, Scott said.
“Residents of one home called 911 and stated they were unable to get out,” Scott explained, adding that firefighters brought them to safety.
When the incident happened, retiree David Frank Wolfe, 84, said his lights went out and he heard a slight rumble.
“I said that sounded pretty close,” he recalled.
He went outside and saw debris coming down the hill.
“I was scared,” Wolfe said. “You never know up here.”
Personnel from the Los Angeles Department of Maksibet Building and Safety, the Southern California Gas Co. and the city Department of Water and Power went to the neighborhood to assess the damage.
Councilman Ryu’s spokesman Estevan Montemayor was also at the scene Tuesday.
“We continue to be concerned about the entire street,” said Montemayor.
As city workers prepare to clear the debris, there is concern about additional slippage along the hillsides with rain expected Friday and possibly Monday.
Among the concerned are residents who speculated that constant construction in the area may have contributed to the landslide.
“My gut feeling is it has a lot to do with this building going on,” said Wolfe, who lives four houses down from the incident. “Mother nature can only take so much and this is fooling with it … By building these big houses, they have to stabilize the house and the land. Of course, these heavy rains didn’t help.”
Neighborhood resident Barry Swaffar, 50, voiced similar concerns.
“They have so much construction going on here, so it makes you wonder if it’s weakened the surrounding areas.
Montemayor said geologists and engineers must analyze the affected properties before the city can answer questions about construction possibly being a factor.
“At this time our priority is to ensure the safety of the hillside and these homes,” Montemayor said.
The landslide was the latest incident the disrupt life in Laurel Canyon.
Closures and detours have been in effect since Jan. 11, when part of a home’s concrete foundation and patio slid down a rain-soaked hillside onto the street below.
The city has reopened southbound Laurel Canyon Boulevard. But northbound traffic is still being detoured to Laurel Canyon Road (also known as Little Laurel Canyon) between Kirkwood Drive and Mount Olympus Drive.
The city encourages affected residents to contact 3-1-1 or visit myla311.lacity.org for additional information.
City News Service contributed to this report
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