$120 Million Paper House Collapses Like 'Waruru'... US Two-Story Home Collapse Accident

Two houses built on a cliff in the United States collapsed suddenly in the middle of the night. Fortunately, the homeowners had evacuated in advance, so there were no casualties.

Houses collapsing due to ground subsidence. [Image source=TikTok]

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On the 23rd (local time), local media including KUTV2 News reported on the house collapse accident that occurred the previous day on a cliff in Hidden Canyon, Draper, Utah.

Houses collapsing due to ground subsidence. [Image source=TikTok]

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The houses involved in the accident were single-family homes built on a steep cliff slope. At the time of the accident, the ground supporting the houses collapsed due to subsidence, causing the houses to fall down the cliff in an instant. In the recorded footage, a two-story house first tilts backward and then collapses straight down. During this process, pieces of the roof fall off and the exterior walls are damaged.

Fortunately, neither of the two houses was occupied at the time of the accident, so there were no casualties. Additionally, some retaining walls collapsed during the incident, and the collapse was detected early, allowing fire authorities and local officials to arrive on site in advance and control the situation.

The city authorities had already declared the houses 'unfit for habitation' last October after an inspection, citing the risk of ground subsidence.

Ground subsidence refers to the sinking of the ground caused by various natural and artificial factors such as tectonic movements and sea level rise. In this case, the cause was identified as water gradually seeping into the ground and reaching saturation.

The buildings were recently completed. The Kamlat family purchased one of the collapsed houses in November 2021 for $900,000. However, a few months after moving in, cracks appeared at the corners of the house, indicating signs of collapse, and eventually, the construction company repurchased the house from the Kamlat family in December of last year.

The city authorities have currently closed the nearby hiking trails where the collapse occurred and are restricting access to outsiders except for residents.

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