Geological engineers on Monday will inspect Newport Beach bluff that collapsed

Geological engineers will be out next week inspecting the bluff in Newport Beach that collapsed early Thursday morning, according to city officials.

The landslide happened at around 4 a.m. Thursday behind 1466 Galaxy Drive. Much of the backyard for the property was lost, though the house remained intact. The backyards of houses on either side of the property were also damaged, though all of the houses appeared to be intact. But city inspectors yellow-tagged them because of an exposed gas line and concerns the slide could worsen.

Just hours before the landslide, the owners of 1466 Galaxy Drive reached out to the city, indicating their intention to do some work to stabilize the property.

With the weather expected to be sunny and dry for the next few days, city spokesman John Pope confirmed that engineers retained by the property owners would be out on the bluff Monday to bore into the hillside to get an idea of the soil composition. That data will then be used for recommendations.

“Once the work is done and the geological engineer is satisfied with the stability and believe the home is secured, they may draft a letter stating the property is safe and the city can then decide to lift the yellow tag and allow the homeowners back inside the house,” Pope said. “But, until that happens, the yellow tag will stay in place and homeowners cannot stay in the house.”

City Councilman Erik Weigand said the owners of the most severely affected property moved out Friday. He added that the residents of the two adjacent properties can remain in their homes, but have been strongly advised to avoid their backyards.

This is the second slide that’s occurred on Galaxy Drive in a year, with the last one occurring in March 2023. The house that was primarily affected then, 1930 Galaxy Drive, was demolished later that same month. The cause of that slide appeared to be oversaturation by rain. The cause of this most recent slide is still under investigation.