California man refuses to move out of multi-million cliffside mansion - despite warnings it could fall into the ocean

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By Kim Novak

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A doctor from California is refusing to abandon his multi-million dollar mansion despite fears it could end up falling off a cliff and into the ocean.

Three multi-million dollar homes in Dana Point, Southern California, have been pictured teetering ever closer to a cliff edge following a landslide that ripped a large part of the land from under them.

Huge storms have battered California in recent months - rare weather for the area - leaving many areas with dangerous mudslides and flooding, including the landslide in Dana Point.

Despite the houses looking precarious, the homes - which look out onto the Pacific Ocean - have been deemed safe to live in - and some of the occupants are in no hurry to move out.

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Homes in Dana Point on the edge of the landslide. Credit: Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images

The most expensive ocean-front home belongs to local radiologist Lewis Bruggeman, 82, with the four-bedroom property being worth an enormous $15.9 million.

Bruggeman does not want to move out of his impressive home, telling KCAL: "The house is fine, it’s not threatened and it will not be red-tagged.

"The city agrees that there’s no major structural issue with the house."

According to Dana Point City Manager Mike Killebrew, a geotechnical engineer and building sector from the city inspected one of the three mansions - an A-frame home that is the closest to the edge - and told CBS News that they found "no imminent threat to that home."

Killebrew added: "The city’s geotechnical engineer and a building sector went out to the site to assess the situation, as well as talk with the homeowner who owns the residence and slope where the failure occurred."

In video footage and photographs from the scene, the A-framed house can be seen hanging right on the edge of the cliff, where the land ahead of it has completely collapsed.

Other buildings either side of it are also extremely close to the cliff edge, where evidence of the ground that has given away can be seen.

Despite the landslip, it was deemed that the deck of the A-frame home hadn't moved and no cracks were found in the property suggesting any structural issues were imminent.

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The A-frame house was deemed safe despite the cliff around it having fallen away. Credit: Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images

The three homes that are on the cliff edge are said to be worth approximately $15.9 million, $14.1 million, and $12.9 million respectively, according to Redfin.

While the properties have been deemed safe for their residents to remain in for now, further works will be required to make sure they are able to withstand any future storms given how close they are to the edge of the cliff.

Kyle Tourjé, executive vice president of Los Angeles engineering firm Alpha Structural, told the Washington Post: "That’s going to need major, major work to stabilize that property.

"We’re seeing more damage, and I think we will continue to see more significant damage. Between back-to-back years of heavy saturation, these houses, these properties … they just can’t take this kind of beating."

Southern California has been battery by powerful storms this year, which has waterlogged the the ground, accelerating landslides in the area.

Featured image credit: Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images

California man refuses to move out of multi-million cliffside mansion - despite warnings it could fall into the ocean

vt-author-image

By Kim Novak

Article saved!Article saved!

A doctor from California is refusing to abandon his multi-million dollar mansion despite fears it could end up falling off a cliff and into the ocean.

Three multi-million dollar homes in Dana Point, Southern California, have been pictured teetering ever closer to a cliff edge following a landslide that ripped a large part of the land from under them.

Huge storms have battered California in recent months - rare weather for the area - leaving many areas with dangerous mudslides and flooding, including the landslide in Dana Point.

Despite the houses looking precarious, the homes - which look out onto the Pacific Ocean - have been deemed safe to live in - and some of the occupants are in no hurry to move out.

wp-image-1263250598 size-full
Homes in Dana Point on the edge of the landslide. Credit: Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images

The most expensive ocean-front home belongs to local radiologist Lewis Bruggeman, 82, with the four-bedroom property being worth an enormous $15.9 million.

Bruggeman does not want to move out of his impressive home, telling KCAL: "The house is fine, it’s not threatened and it will not be red-tagged.

"The city agrees that there’s no major structural issue with the house."

According to Dana Point City Manager Mike Killebrew, a geotechnical engineer and building sector from the city inspected one of the three mansions - an A-frame home that is the closest to the edge - and told CBS News that they found "no imminent threat to that home."

Killebrew added: "The city’s geotechnical engineer and a building sector went out to the site to assess the situation, as well as talk with the homeowner who owns the residence and slope where the failure occurred."

In video footage and photographs from the scene, the A-framed house can be seen hanging right on the edge of the cliff, where the land ahead of it has completely collapsed.

Other buildings either side of it are also extremely close to the cliff edge, where evidence of the ground that has given away can be seen.

Despite the landslip, it was deemed that the deck of the A-frame home hadn't moved and no cracks were found in the property suggesting any structural issues were imminent.

wp-image-1263250600 size-full
The A-frame house was deemed safe despite the cliff around it having fallen away. Credit: Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images

The three homes that are on the cliff edge are said to be worth approximately $15.9 million, $14.1 million, and $12.9 million respectively, according to Redfin.

While the properties have been deemed safe for their residents to remain in for now, further works will be required to make sure they are able to withstand any future storms given how close they are to the edge of the cliff.

Kyle Tourjé, executive vice president of Los Angeles engineering firm Alpha Structural, told the Washington Post: "That’s going to need major, major work to stabilize that property.

"We’re seeing more damage, and I think we will continue to see more significant damage. Between back-to-back years of heavy saturation, these houses, these properties … they just can’t take this kind of beating."

Southern California has been battery by powerful storms this year, which has waterlogged the the ground, accelerating landslides in the area.

Featured image credit: Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images