A hillside in the Hollywood Hills partially gave way on Friday, an event directly triggered by an overflowing swimming pool that ultimately led to flooding across the terrain and prompted temporary evacuations for residents nearby. The unusual incident unfolded in the afternoon, drawing a significant response from local emergency services.
Emergency crews were quickly mobilized following reports of a substantial flood and a developing hillside collapse. The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) responded to the scene, located on North Wilcox Avenue, at approximately 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Upon arrival, fire officials assessed the severity of the situation and determined that the collapse was impacting the area directly below an apartment building. Eight units within that apartment building, which stands on Grace Avenue, were subsequently evacuated as a precautionary measure to ensure the immediate safety of residents.
The LAFD clarified that while their personnel were on site managing the immediate hazards, they could not specify the exact number of individuals affected by these evacuations. Instead, the department noted that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was the agency primarily responsible for handling and managing the evacuations of the residents from the affected apartment units.
By shortly after 5 p.m. on Friday, just over two hours after the initial call for assistance, the Fire Department provided an update on the stability of the site. They announced that the hillside collapse was deemed “static.” Lyndsey Lantz, a spokesperson for the LAFD, explained this specific designation, confirming that authorities believed the conditions at the site were unlikely to undergo further changes or deterioration. This assessment brought a measure of relief to the area and the displaced residents.
Following this determination that the collapse had stabilized, all residents who had been asked to evacuate their homes were subsequently allowed to return. This permitted the occupants of the eight apartment units on Grace Avenue to re-enter their residences after their temporary displacement.
The specific cause of the flooding and the subsequent hillside collapse was thoroughly investigated and traced back to an issue with a swimming pool situated directly above the affected hillside. According to the Fire Department's findings, a garden hose had been left running continuously, causing the pool to overflow for what was described as an “unknown amount of time.” This prolonged overflow contributed to the excessive saturation of the ground, critically compromising its stability and ultimately leading to the hillside’s partial failure.
In immediate response to identifying the source, the Los Angeles Fire Department took direct action to mitigate the danger by draining the overflowing pool. This crucial step aimed to remove the ongoing source of hydrostatic pressure on the hillside, preventing further water damage or instability.
Beyond the immediate emergency response, the incident necessitated further intervention from local regulatory bodies. The L.A. Department of Building and Safety was called in to assess the structural integrity of the affected properties. Their assessment resulted in the pool itself being “red-tagged.” Additionally, portions of a damaged structure located at the very base of the hill were also red-tagged. This particular structure, according to spokesperson Lantz, was a vacated commercial building, indicating it was unoccupied at the time of the collapse.
