Mudslide Forces Evacuations In Hollywood Hills' Nichols Canyon

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HOLLYWOOD HILLS (CBSLA) – Following several days of heavy rain, several homes in the Nichols Canyon area of Hollywood Hills were  evacuated Thursday due to a mudslide.

Originally, 21 homes were ordered evacuated as a precaution until city building inspectors, engineers and geologists, among others, determined
Thursday afternoon that they could be repopulated, according to Brian Humphrey of the LAFD.

Residents at three of the homes chose not to evacuate, he said.

At about 9:30 a.m., a mudslide was reported at a home under construction in the 1800 block of North Stanley Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Four homes, two on Stanley Avenue and two on Courtney Terrace, were yellow-tagged, restricting access to their backyards.

"Neighbors down here saw a portion of that hillside slop off underneath that home and start to move down the hill," LAFD Capt. Erik Scott told CBS2.

Firefighters responded and determined that soil had shifted under the home, which sits on a large hillside.

"The soil that we're seeing is more of a sand-like soil, not too rocky, it just has sloughed off the top of that hillside, which is underneath that home under construction," Scott said.

A portion of the retaining wall belonging to an adjacent home gave way, Scott said. That home's pool was being drained in order to help reduce the stress on the hillside.

"We do have some cracks in the walls on this side, so as a precaution, there's a pool that we're draining to reduce the weight," Scott said.

About 21 surrounding homes were being evacuated as a precaution, Scott added. That included homes on nearby Nichols Canyon Road north of Courtney Avenue.

There were no reported injuries. Five construction workers who were there at the time evacuated safely.

CBS2's Greg Mills reported from the location and spoke to many of the worried residents.

By 6 p.m, most of the residents were able to return to their homes. Mills spoke to one man, however, who was told that his foundation may have been compromised and he was told to stay clear of his swimming pool and living room until further notice.