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Landslide Causes Problems In Moon Township

MOON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- At least one business had to send employees home for the day and three others are also being impacted after a landslide in Robinson Township came down onto some power lines.

According to emergency officials in Allegheny County, the landslide happened at Casteel Drive off of Montour Run Road.

"The bulk of it happened between 6:30 a.m. till 9: a.m. and then it's been a slow, steady push as the day went," Steve Celaschi, vice president of D&S Hoist and Crane, said.

The businesses affected, which are located down the hillside in Moon Township, include H&K Equipment and D& S Crane. Officials say another company sent their workers home because they are without power.

Crews have been using heavy equipment to pull the mud away from the buildings. The ooze continues to deform what was a flat parking lot awaiting a gravel bed.

"The ground is actually coming up from underneath and like a volcano it's just boiling over and it's hydraulic pressure from the water that's doing this," Celaschi said.

With chasms two and three feet deep, this area has risen substantially.

"We're probably about six feet in the air from where it was yesterday," he explained.

West Penn Power is clearing the area and may have to replace four poles. Finding solid ground for them is part of the issue.

Stay with KDKA for the latest details.

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