The Region - News from Feb. 28, 1985

Water from a leaking irrigation line in the backyard of a nearby house triggered the earth slide that dumped a $350,000 home off its foundation in the Los Feliz district last weekend. The pipe on the property above the home that collapsed apparently had been leaking enough water to further weaken ancient faults in the hill’s granite bedrock, said Joseph Cobarrubias, chief engineering geologist with the city Department of Building and Safety. A 63-year-old woman suffered a broken ankle, and her 3-year-old granddaughter suffered cuts on her feet in the slide. The collapsed house at 2583 Amesbury Road is owned by Drs. John and Najwa Shammas, who were attending a medical conference in Egypt at the time. Officials have declared the two houses on either side of the collapsed house uninhabitable. Three houses above have also been listed as unsafe, but the residents have not been told to vacate.