6 Homes Evacuated Due To Spring Hill Landslide

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SPRING HILL (KDKA) – Several homes in Pittsburgh's Spring Hill neighborhood have been evacuated due to a landslide.

According to city officials, six homes have been evacuated in the area of Goehring Street and Kenzig Avenue.

Bernice Strahler is one resident who has been forced to evacuate. She has lived in her home for 63 years.

"They said go, I went and my kids insisted I go," Strahler said.

She's staying with her daughter until the mess is cleaned up and the hillside is secure. Strahler said she realized something was wrong Sunday morning.

"We heard some dirt fall, but it fell over two doors up the street. In the dark, you can't see so in the morning looked and said it's not my yard and about an hour later, kaboom that all came down at once," she said.

Officials with the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections inspected the site Monday and ordered that the homes be vacated. Signs hang in the windows stating the homes are imminently dangerous.

Strahler said her home isn't damaged, yet.

"They're not stopping us from going in, but if we go in it's up to us. I'm going in now, I left a lot of stuff behind," Strahler said.

Jerry Lorenz has lived in the area for most of his life. He's not affected, but he's worried for his neighbors. He said all the rain we've been having likely played a role.

"All of a sudden, it's just erosion up there. They cut some trees up there in the back," Jerry Lorenz said.

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has been in the neighborhood all morning working to make sure the nearby water lines are stable after the landslide happened.

Geotechnical engineers are inspecting the site Tuesday.  They will figure out what to do next.

Residents will be allowed to return to their homes when it deemed safe to do so.

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