DRAPER, Utah (KTVX) — More families have been evacuated from a Utah neighborhood after two houses collapsed and slide off a hill Saturday morning.
City officials evacuated two homes in Draper back in October of 2022, saying the houses “were unfit for human habitation and occupancy due to dangerous conditions.” The families had just moved in to the newly built homes less than a year prior.
The city said the dangerous conditions were because of “earth shifting,” which could cause the homes to slide and their foundations to break.
The two homes evacuated in October collapsed Saturday, with one of the houses falling onto a hiking trail below.
Engineers and public safety personnel then issued an evacuation notice to the residents of two more homes – the ones situated on each side of the collapsed houses.
Two houses collapsed from sliding in Draper on Apr. 22. (Courtesy of Jason Middaugh) 
Two houses collapsed from sliding in Draper on Apr. 22. (Courtesy of Jason Middaugh) 
Two houses collapsed from sliding in Draper on Apr. 22. (Courtesy of Jason Middaugh) 
Two houses collapsed from sliding in Draper on Apr. 22. (Courtesy of Jason Middaugh) 
Two houses collapsed from sliding in Draper on Apr. 22. (Courtesy of Jason Middaugh) 
Two houses collapsed from sliding in Draper on Apr. 22. (Courtesy of Jason Middaugh)
The trail beneath the collapsed homes has also been closed to the public due to the dangerous conditions.
With Utah’s snowpack melting, officials said they are evaluating the other surrounding homes to ensure their safety.
Over the past several months, the city has been in contact with the structure’s developers, Edge Homes, to discuss the developers’ engineering studies on the stability of the area. The city will continue to update the public on any further developments, evacuations, and closures.
“Our hearts are with the homeowners involved. We are grateful that everyone is safe,” the city said in a press release.
