Landslide in Beverly Crest unleashes mudflow into backyard, street

ByLeanne Suter and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Landslide in Beverly Crest unleashes mudflow
A broken water line resulted in a landslide and mudflow Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles.

BEVERLY CREST, Los Angeles (KABC) -- A landslide in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles on Monday afternoon sent a river of mud and debris into a backyard and residential street.

A hillside in the 2400 block of Briarcrest Road was compromised amid flowing water from a ruptured 2-inch PVC water line, possibly an abandoned sprinkler pipe. No one was injured in the incident.

Patio furniture was deluged and a pool was filled with mud behind a home in the nearby 900 block of Burroughs Road, whose interior escaped damage. The house was yellow-tagged, allowing the residents to remain in the home but preventing them from entering the backyard.

Firefighters at the scene worked to shut off the water flow, said Erik Scott, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The water line, in an abandoned lot on Briarcrest, was shut down as Burroughs remained flooded.

Geologists are expected to survey the hillside on Tuesday and assess its stability.

The landslide occurred days before a storm on Friday is expected to drench the Southland, heightening fears of additional movement on the hillside.

City News Service contributed to this report.