Mud rushes over road after falling tree sparks landslide in Seattle’s Leschi neighborhood

SEATTLE — A giant tree gave way, pushing dirt and debris onto Lakeside Avenue in Seattle’s Leschi neighborhood over the weekend.

The Seattle Department of Transportation says crews had to shut down the street while SDOT and Seattle Public Utilities crews worked together to ensure the area was safe and to remove the obstructions from the road.

The road was reopened later Saturday evening.

Greg Ernst, Owner of Sol Yoga, says the landslide happened Saturday afternoon as they were getting ready for their grand opening.

“Yeah, so we were actually having our grand opening Saturday afternoon, and we were taking down the window coverings and cleaning things up a little bit, and I just happen to step outside right at the time,” he described. “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.”

Within seconds, the road was covered in debris.

“It was maybe four inches of mud covering Lakeside Drive,” said Ernst.

Thankfully, no one was hurt. KIRO 7 talked with the homeowner, who says there’s no damage to his house.

City engineers say they don’t know what caused the landslide, and are reminding property owners who live on steep hills to do routine inspections during the wet season.

“I was just thinking about our house, if it is secure. I don’t think we got that much rain in the last few days,” said Ruchika Jain.

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