A leaky water pipe appears to be to blame for the demolition of a $2 million home in the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood of San Francisco.
The damaged pipe is located about four houses up from the one that had to be demolished last week. The pipe is an eight-inch line cracked along the home's entire perimeter. City water officials said if the leaky pipe is the cause, they will take responsibility.
The home had to be demolished after neighbors noticed cracks in the foundation and engineers discovered it was sliding down the hillside.
Engineers over the weekend deemed the other homes in the neighborhood were safe. Water officials said they will be drilling a well on the original site to pump out any remaining water and determine if any other factors, aside from the leaky pipe, are to blame.
"The main thing is we want to make sure, we want to identify all the causes instead of just assuming this was the cause and something else is happening," said Harlan Kelly Jr. with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. "It wouldn't be good for everyone."
Water officials said they do not know how long the investigation will take, but add they will move swiftly to deal with the property owner's losses.
