Hillside homes located above a landslide that sent rocks, dirt and other debris onto Pacific Coast Highway Thursday morning do not appear to be threatened after an assessment of the soil, according to geologists.
Lanes were closed early Thursday on the northbound side of Pacific Coast Highway after the landslide, which might have been caused by water from a garden hose that saturated soil on the hillside.
Dirt, rocks, bushes and other debris was scattered across at least two lanes, just north of the Temescal Canyon Road intersection. Aerial video showed a front-end loader removing the debris at about 6:15 a.m.
At mid-day, crews worked to remove a large tree from the top of the hillside. Workers trimmed branches before removing the tree in sections, lowering each segment down the hill with ropes.
Fire officials found a garden hose that had been leaking water, which might have saturated the hillside soil in the slide area. The slide occurred just before a yellow road sign marked, "Slide Area."
"We believe it was caused by a water source," said Patrick Chandler, of Caltrans. "Right now, in talking to our geologist, there has been no more movement. And there's no indication that the structures could slide down."
Plastics chairs, tables and other items were found in the dirt.
No injuries were reported.
The northbound lanes were closed at Temescal Canyon Road (map). One southbound lane was closed just north of the intersection after the 4:15 a.m. slide.
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