A home in Los Angeles which was spared during the apocalyptic fires was split in two by a mudslide in the aftermath of the blaze.
The oceanfront $2million one bed, one bath home in Pacific Palisades survived the fire which destroyed some 5,300 other properties in the area, charred 23,000 acres of land and killed at least nine people.
But just a day after the threat of fire began to ease, a mudslide split the home straight down the middle in a cruel reminder to residents that they’re not yet out of the woods.
Residents in fire-ravaged communities have been warned the risk of mudslides are heightened and they should be on alert for any warning signs.
Mark Pestrella, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, spoke of the risk of landslides on Thursday morning.
He said: ‘A warning to all those residents no matter where you live in LA County: if you have slopes behind your homes or if you’re located on top of a slope, these slopes have become fragile.
‘The soil supporting your home has all become fragile due to the events we’ve had, winds included.
‘There are mud and debris flow hazards that are existing even when it’s not raining so we want people to be very careful.’
A home in Los Angeles which was spared during the apocalyptic fires was split in two by a mudslide in the aftermath of the blaze
The oceanfront $2million one bed, one bath home in Pacific Palisades survived the fire which destroyed some 5,300 other properties in the area, charred 23,000 acres of land and killed at least nine people
Just a day after the threat of fire began to ease, a mudslide split the home straight down the middle in a cruel reminder to residents that they’re not yet out of the woods
He told residents to stay on high alert for ‘any of these conditions in and around their property – in the fire area or outside.’
‘Please contact 211 and we will send a team of geologists and soil engineers and flood control engineers to look at your property and make an assessment to safeguard your property,’ he said.
The wildfires have disrupted the soil and gravel across Los Angeles, pushing ‘debris into the streets and into properties,’ Pestrella said.
Now, some of this material is helping to support some of the structures which were not razed during the fires.
The water that is used to fight the fires elevates the risk of landslides, turning otherwise dry soil into mud.
‘You can imagine the amount of water which was placed in the firefighting effort,’ he noted. ‘There were also gas lines and water lines which were destroyed.’
Officials are working to maintain any slopes around fire-ravaged communities in an effort to avoid dangerous conditions.
Residents in fire-ravaged communities have been warned the risk of muslides are heightened and they should be on alert for any warning signs
‘It literally looks like a bomb dropped,’ Sheriff Robert Luna, of Los Angeles County, said on Thursday
The wildfires have disrupted the soil and gravel across Los Angeles, pushing ‘debris into the streets and into properties,’ Pestrella said
After the Thomas fire which hit southern California in 2017, two people were killed as a result of the inferno but a further 23 died from the landslide which followed.
The Palisades fire is still burning but is now 22 per cent contained, while a second and deadlier fire in Pasadena and Altadena, named the Eaton fire, is 55 per cent contained after wiping out 14,000 acres and killing at least 16 people.
A weather warning for ‘life threatening winds’ ended on Wednesday evening, giving firefighters a slight reprieve as they battle to contain these blazes further.
Officials are searching through the rubble looking for human remains, with dozens of people still missing.
‘It literally looks like a bomb dropped,’ Sheriff Robert Luna, of Los Angeles County, said on Thursday.
