Syndicated Local

Fire Department Parking Lot, Cemetery, Caught In Landslide

January 15, 2014 / 7:31 PM EST / CBS Pittsburgh

BALDWIN (KDKA) – The ground is unstable near a local volunteer fire department, and it's causing part of their parking lot to collapse.

The rear parking lot of the Baldwin Independent fire company sits on slag, and the fire chief believes the recent quick freeze and thaw of the ground caused a land slide.

Chief Kevin Kenny told says the earth began moving Tuesday morning around five a.m.

A few hours later, nearly 12-feet of the parking lot had fallen.

The damage was not just contained to the parking lot, right below is Saint Josaphat Cemetery.

Mud, trees and debris have toppled over onto headstones and grave sites.

Home video showed a major tree falling due to the slide.

Cemetery manager Mark Zietak says three headstones were knocked off their bases but not damaged.

Another concern by the fire chief is a gas main for the community.

"Our other concern is there is a 12-inch gas main that gives gas to the rest of the community. We have the gas company monitoring making sure it's not going that way."

Meantime a geological engineer is taking core samples in an effort to determine what exactly caused the slide.

Chief Kenny says that could take a while.