4 minutes

Dennis Katsnelson

On a fateful Saturday morning, two houses on the hillside of a knoll in Draper, 20 miles south of Salt Lake City, collapsed because of unstable soil beneath them. These houses had been abandoned for 6 months after authorities told their residents to evacuate. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. However, 2 other houses nearby were evacuated as a precautionary measure. As spring arrives, authorities have expressed concern about other houses in the area and are currently investigating them.

We took this video from 10 Tampa Bay YouTube Channel.

Video taken by cops and fire officials captured the collapse of 2 houses. The buttress wall holding the ground cracked and the houses started emitting sounds before collapsing. In one house, metal fell from the porch ceiling moments before the 2nd floor collapsed down the slope. Another house collapsed and rolled off the hill, leaving nothing of its construction.

Town authorities issued an evacuation order in early October because of the hazards posed by falling soil and cracks in the foundations of the houses. Within months, they coordinated with Edge Homes, the company responsible for building the houses, to conduct engineering tests of the site's stability. However, Edge Houses did not quickly return to calls and phone messages seeking comment.

This incident underscores the importance of proper soil investigation and foundation testing before constructing any building. It also serves as a warning to homeowners living in areas prone to landslides and ground shifts to take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety. While officials continue to check other houses in the area, residents are advised to be vigilant and take the necessary steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.