DRAPER, Utah, April 22, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Two Draper homes declared unfit for habitation last October due to stability concerns were destroyed overnight when the water-saturated earth gave way beneath them. Two additional homes are being evacuated due to safety concerns.
Sgt. Mike Elkins, Draper City Police, briefed reporters who responded to the scene, saying Draper Police and Fire crews were called to the scene Friday night. The major collapse happened at about midnight Saturday morning, he said.
The man who called dispatch said “he had heard the retaining wall in the back start to collapse and said he believed he could hear the house starting to creak,” Elkins said. “Our officers and our fire department got up here on scene. And here on scene, as you can see, we’ve kind of locked the area down. Both the houses actually collapsed and have now gone down the back of the hill.”
Elkins said both homes “were unoccupied as far as we know” due to the evacuation orders last year.
He observed both the collapse, Elkins said.
“I have never seen anything like this before,” he said. “It’s it’s quite something to see. It’s a lot of destruction in just a few seconds.”
Draper news release
A Draper City statement says its building official issued a notice revoking occupancy to the homes, at 2463 and 2477 E. Springtime Road on Oct. 25 of last year.
“The notice declared both homes unfit for human habitation and occupancy due to dangerous conditions. The conditions were related to earth shifting that resulted in sliding and breaks in the homes’ foundations,” the city’s news release says.
“Early this morning, both homes collapsed due to sliding. Engineers, building officials, and public safety personnel are on site and have determined that two additional homes, one on each side of the previously evacuated homes, need to be evacuated. The residents of these homes have been notified and are evacuating.
“Draper City has been following up with the developer, Edge Homes for months on engineering studies Edge Homes has conducted regarding the stability of the surrounding area. With the snow pack melting and creating changes in conditions, other homes in the neighborhood will be evaluated for safety concerns. At this time, only the two adjacent homes are being evacuated.”
Nearby Ann’s Trail is being closed due to the danger, and people should “not circumvent the closure notices,” the statement says.
“This is an evolving situation. Draper City will continue to update the public as we have more information and notify if there is a need for any additional evacuations or closures. Our hearts are with the homeowners involved. We are grateful that everyone is safe.”
Agencies involved
Elkins said under the circumstances, the scene overnight “looked as good as it possibly could.”
He thanked “Unified, which came out with their drone to check for any kind of heat signatures, and things like that. As far as we know at this point, it’s just property damage.”
Elkins also thanked LifeFlight, which helped survey the area. And for anyone with any concerns about flooding or earth slides, he suggested “you know, have an emergency kit ready to go. Have a plan in place, know where you’re going to spend the night, and just be prepared, because if it happens, it happens. And not much you can do about it.”
