EDMONDS, Wash. -- A landslide from a near-vertical cliff came down in Edmonds early Thursday morning, damaging one home and forcing the evacuation of dozens of neighbors.



The evacuation was lifted after more than four hours and most people were allowed to go back home.



The once-steep slope gave way near 73rd Place West and North Meadowdale Road.









An avalanche of trees and mud slammed into an elderly couple’s home in the Lorian Woods neighborhood of Edmonds.



The couple wasn’t injured but the force of the landslide damaged their home and caused a gas leak. It’s unclear when the couple will be allowed to get back inside.



Many people living above and below the landslide were also evacuated.



“I heard pounding on the door and there was an officer flashing his lights through the kitchen,” Jacob Berg said.



The city of Edmonds says they evacuated neighbors because of the gas leak and not due to fears of more landslides.



“We do not see further slides likely at this point in time,” Public Works Director Phil Williams said.



But the slide happened during this fall’s very first storm and after a very dry summer. It’s a reminder the risk is always there for all landslide-prone areas.



“A little bit of water in the wrong spot in between the hard formation and the loose soils make a slide plain,” Williams said.









At the core of the landslide, we could see water flowing out of the soils -- it’s that kind of buildup that worries people here.



“There is a lot of water under the soil, hoping it gets channeled through the storm drains,” neighbor Van Caryl said.



Because there are homes close to the landslide, with more storms coming our way.



The property where the landslide happened had a for-sale sign up. We checked with the realtor who says that sign is old and the property is currently not on the market.