Pounding surf undermined the driveway of a beachfront Malibu home and caused a gas main rupture Tuesday.
Los Angeles County Fire Department crews responded at about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday to the 31600 block of Sea Level Drive East, neat Point Lechuza.
The Southern California Gas Company was summoned to shut off the gas, according to a fire department spokesman.
“There is a sinkhole there, but the home is not occupied,” he said after the initial call.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the county fire department responded and closed the private road. Images from the scene showed one end of a driveway had collapsed and a large sinkhole was opened in the pavement.
Malibu’s Building Safety Division and SoCal Gas were working to assess the situation, and the city red-tagged five homes, prohibiting entry.
“The city’s Building Safety Division and Southern California Gas Company will continue to assess the situation to determine safety concerns for the surrounding area, and will provide updates as they become available,” city officials said.
Malibu officials said they are “actively monitoring and responding to coastal erosion issues in areas including Pacific Coast Highway in the Palisades Fire burn area and at Westward Beach due to strong waves and high tides, in close collaboration with partner agencies.”
“The city is preparing for potential strong storms, strong waves, heavy rain, mudslides and coastal erosion that are possible along the entire Southern California coast due to the forecast strong El Niño conditions,” officials stated.