Four Buildings Evacuated after San Francisco Landslide

February 28, 2007

A landslide of rocks and boulders tumbled down onto a San Francisco apartment building early Tuesday, sending 150 residents of the North Beach district into the streets.

No injuries were reported, but at least four buildings were evacuated after the 3 a.m. slide, and officials shut off water and electricity to the structures.

City engineers were assessing possible damage as boulders and mud piled several stories high against an apartment building and the club.

“Fortunately, everyone had just left,” said Gary Marlin, whose management company oversees the Broadway Showgirls Cabaret at the bottom of the hill. The slide appeared to have caused a water main to break in or near the club, causing serious water damage, he said.

Residents were also were forced to leave a 45-unit apartment building perched at the edge of the collapsed hillside because of concerns its foundation had been compromised.

Authorities were trying to determine what caused the slide.

More than a half-inch of rain had fallen in the city since Monday, according to the National Weather Service. More showers were predicted Tuesday.

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