Man rescued after house slides off its foundation in Seattle following heavy rain
By Melissa Alonso, CNN
Seattle firefighters rescued a man trapped in the basement of his house after it “slid 15-20 feet off its foundation” during a landslide, authorities said Friday.
“The steep slope area behind the house had slid likely as a result of high levels of precipitation which resulted in the top floor of the structure partially collapsing on top of the daylight basement,” the Seattle Fire Department said in a statement.
When firefighters arrived to the Magnolia neighborhood, they received reports a man was “trapped inside, along with a fire involving propane tanks on the back side of the house.” A woman who was in the home “was able to escape on her own,” said the statement.
SFD crews “utilized hydraulic struts to shore the structure” and rescue the man who “was pinned underneath debris” in the basement, the release said. Firefighters had “to simultaneously work to extinguish a fire while” the resident was “trapped inside,” SFD said.
The man and woman were transported to Harborview Medical Center, said the release. Details on the extent of their injuries were not provided.
“Crews also searched the structure for two missing dogs; unfortunately one was found deceased and the other was not located,” said SFD.
Record rain and snow has inundated the state
The region has received record amounts of precipitation.
On Thursday, several cities in Washington broke rainfall records, the National Weather Service said.
Residents living in the Skokomish Valley area of Mason County — about 40 miles southwest of downtown Seattle — are under an evacuation order due to rising water and “imminent flooding,” the county said in a news release.
The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections reminded residents Friday on Twitter that “the heavy rains we’re getting increase the chances of a landslide.”
“Crews responded to slides across King County today,” the county’s road services department stated.
The rain and snow is expected to stick around for much of the Pacific Northwest through Saturday before conditions alleviate Sunday.
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CNN’s Michelle Watson, Haley Brink and Allison Chinchar contributed to this report.
