SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Crews are tearing down a multimillion-dollar San Francisco house that is sliding down a hill, threatening other homes.
The three-story, mid-century house has separated more than a foot from the curb and has sunk more than a foot, says home owner Ronald Martell, who was on site Friday to oversee demolition work.
It’s unclear what is causing the home to slide, although El Nino storms that have drenched the San Francisco Bay Area could be partly to blame. Martell said one neighbor has reported basement flooding, and there appears to be too much water on his property for the amount of rain that’s fallen.
The city ordered five other homes- one on either side of Martell’s house and three at the bottom of the hill behind his house_to hire engineers to show their homes are safe.
Records show the Martells bought the house for roughly $2 million in October. But his family hadn’t moved in yet, pending a possible remodel.