Mudslide Destroys Home, Forces Evacuation

Wed., March 19, 1997

From Staff And Wire Reports

A mudslide plowed through a Magnolia neighborhood Tuesday night, destroying one home and prompting the evacuation of 18 others, authorities said.

One person was inside the house when the slide hit, but he managed to escape without injury, said Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Georgia Taylor.

A damage estimate and the homeowner’s identity were not immediately available.

About five other mudslides were reported throughout the hills of Perkins Lane and firefighters decided to evacuate the homes that were most at risk, Taylor said.

The slides were aggravated by heavy rains all of Monday and Tuesday as a stream of tropical moisture was blamed for flood warnings throughout Western Washington.

The National Weather Service posted flood warnings on several small rivers while avalanche danger in the Cascades continued to cause problems on the state’s two major east-west mountain passes.

Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie Pass was temporarily closed Tuesday afternoon and reopened at about 6 p.m., the state Transportation Department reported. Meanwhile, the eastbound lanes of U.S. 2 at Stevens Pass was closed Tuesday night due to avalanche danger.

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