Newport Homes Escape Damage as Hill Slides

When Paul Ahmadi went onto the back terrace of his brother’s home Thursday morning, he noticed that something was different.

“There was no tree there” he said, gesturing to the backyard where it had stood the night before.

Parts of the yard had tumbled from the hilltop home on Muir Beach Circle early Thursday morning, blocking off an area of Goleta Point Drive. No injuries were reported and the slip posed no threat to nearby homes.

Neighbors called police at 8 a.m. on Thursday to report the tree branches, soil and grass that had slid from the slope behind Ahmadi’s home, said Sgt. Steve Shulman of the Newport Beach Police Department. Geologists and building inspectors were sent to the site to evaluate any dangers.

“Although the slip was fairly large in area, it was not a very great depth,” chief buildings inspector Rusty Price said.

The damage in the Spyglass Hill area paled in comparison to the devastation in Laguna Beach earlier in the week, but it served as a cautionary reminder, because the weather was not the only cause for the spill.

“We’re guessing that it’s irrigation water that tipped it,” David Niederhaus, the city’s general services director, said. He added that many who live on or near slope areas have automatic irrigation lines that should be turned off during the wet season. If not, the excess water can cause sliding.

Homeowner Jeannie Ahmadi said she discovered the damage before taking her children to school Thursday morning. Ahmadi went out on her back terrace and discovered her view looked different. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” she said.