At least five homes in a housing development in Santa Clarita’s Canyon Country neighborhood were evacuated and have been yellow-tagged after a hillside came crumbling down over the weekend.
Large boulders came crashing down onto the sidewalk, breaking the concrete in the Skyline community.
Some backyards collapsed and fences have fallen down the hill in the affected area.
Residents say it happened Sunday afternoon, and officials are blaming recent rains.
A “yellow” tag indicates a home has been compromised and habitability is limited. A “red” tag indicates a home has been severely damaged and cannot be inhabited.
The homes were evacuated out of caution until an assessment can be made by Santa Clarita city officials. They will remain yellow-tagged until repairs can be made by the developer.
In a statement, developer Tri Point Homes said the safety of residents is their main concern.
“Following California’s series of heavy rains recently, a landslip occurred at the top of a slope along the rear yard fences of several homes,” the statement read. “The safety of homeowners is of the utmost importance. We are working with the impacted homeowners, including covering their costs for intermediary housing, while a remediation plan is being developed to stabilize and rebuild the slope.”
Tri Point said there does not appear to be any other issues in the community, but that they are monitoring the situation closely with geotechnical experts.
One affected homeowner told KTLA that he checked into a hotel Sunday and is hoping to be able sleep in his home Monday night, but he has not received an estimate on when that might be possible.
Stephanie Pfafman, who lives next door to one of the affected homes, said she wants answers.
“What are they doing about it? How long will the people that are affected and were evacuated, how long will they be displaced? Give us answers,” she said.