Photo: Seattle Department of Transportation
A massive tree toppled over and sparked a small landslide in a Seattle neighborhood over the weekend, forcing a road to temporarily shut down.
The Seattle Department of Transportation confirmed the hazard happened at Lakeside Avenue and East Adler Street in the Leschi neighborhood on Saturday afternoon (January 27). The landslide flung mud and debris on the road, and the road was shut down for hours as crews from both SDOT and Seattle Public Utilities cleaned up the mess, according to KIRO 7.
Greg Ernst, who owns a yoga studio in the area, told reporters he witnessed the landslide rush into the streets.
"I just happen to step outside right at the time. I looked up the hill and there was a tree rustling, and immediately after that it came down the hill, (and slid) across the tree into a car," he recounted. "It was maybe four inches of mud covering Lakeside Drive."
While city engineers aren't sure what caused the landslide, KOMO noted that the area saw a lot of rain over the last few days.
Officials also reminded people living on steep hills to do routine inspections during the wet season.
The road reopened Saturday night, according to a social media post from SDOT.