3 homes evacuated after landslide in South Vancouver
Three homes in South Vancouver were evacuated Thursday morning after a landslide near a construction site on Southwest Marine Drive.
Firefighters and police were called to the scene shortly after 9 a.m., according to Ken Gemmill, assistant chief of operations for Vancouver Fire Rescue Service.
Gemmill said the slide itself, which he described as "kind of an earth collapse," happened early in the morning.
Three properties on Tugboat Place - which is below the property where the slide began, closer to the bank of the Fraser River - had to be evacuated, Gemmill said.
"One of the lots, the whole backyard was encased in dirt and trees," he said.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the landslide.
Stephen Jang was one of the people evacuated. He told CTV News he heard a loud boom around 4:30 a.m. When he went outside, he saw the dirt and vegetation that had slid into his backyard, taking out a retaining wall along the way.
"It just seems that there was an erosion in the bank here and the tree and some of the soil shifted downwards and into my backyard," he said.
Jang said it appears that the slide happened in the greenbelt that separates his property from Casa Mia, the mansion on Southwest Marine Drive that's currently being converted into a long-term care home.
Gemmill said engineers from the City of Vancouver were called to assess the construction site and the three evacuated properties.
"The house above, which is on Southwest Marine Drive, is quite a large house," he said. "It's getting redeveloped now, so there's quite a lot of heavy construction going on on the lot. That may or may not have had bearing on why there was a collapse, but again, the City of Vancouver engineers are assessing the situation."
"The good thing is that everyone's safe," he added. "We got people out of their homes that were at risk."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.