2 evacuated houses in Utah collapse, slide off hill, officials say

DRAPER, Utah — Two evacuated homes in a Salt Lake City suburb collapsed and slid off a hill on Saturday, officials said.

>> Read more trending news

Sliding earth was the cause as the houses tumbled down a hill in Draper, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Other homes in the neighborhood are being evacuated city officials said in a news release.

“We need everyone to stay out of the area, including the neighborhood where the homes are located,” Draper city officials wrote.

On Oct. 25, 2022, the city’s building official evacuated two homes in the Hidden Canyon Estates subdivision -- at 2464 and 2477 E. Springtime Road -- according to KTVX.

The evacuation was ordered after Draper building officials revoked the certificates of occupancy for the residences, the Tribune reported.

At the time, city officials said the residences “were unfit for human habitation and occupancy due to dangerous conditions,” KTVX reported.

No one was injured, but at least one of the homes still contained some of the homeowners’ personal belongings, the Tribune reported.

“(My mom) kept all of her work stuff in there and then all of our baby pictures and scrapbooks and all of those really sentimental items were in her office, that we were actually going to go collect today,” Amanda Wardlow told the newspaper. “We were going to go break into the house because none of the doors could open because of the shifting.”

“We kept hoping it wasn’t going to end up like this,” Carole Kamradt told KSL-TV. “I visualized a lot of things for our lives in this home and they were all wonderful and beautiful. And looking at this now, it’s a nightmare.

“But there are worse things that could’ve happened, and so that’s what I have to concentrate on.”

City officials have been in contact with the homes’ developers, Edge Homes to discuss the developers’ engineering studies on the area’s stability, KTVX reported.

Draper fire Chief Clint Smith told KSL that the surrounding area was being assessed for more sliding risks.

“With the snow pack melting and creating changes in conditions, other homes in the neighborhood will be evaluated for safety concerns,” city officials said in their news release.

The homeowners, meanwhile, are left to wonder what will happen next.

“My parents are just absolutely devastated,” Wardlow told the Tribune. “This was supposed to be their forever home, with this beautiful view of the valley. They purchased this home and did lots of renovations after they closed on it to specialize it and make it theirs. And now it’s it’s gone. It’s at the bottom of a canyon.”

“It was just mind-blowing,” Eric Kamradt told KSL.