Slide Fear Empties 6 Mission Viejo Homes

Twenty-two people were evacuated Tuesday from six Mission Viejo homes where authorities say hillside movement could turn into a mudslide.

Two of the homes, at the base of a 70-foot slope in the 24400 block of Ferrocarril, are board-and-care facilities.

“The hill has been sliding, but there is no damage that I am aware of,” said Capt. Stephen Miller, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

Residents began reporting some slippage Monday, he said. Fire and city officials inspected the site the next day to determine the stability of the slope, Miller said.

The officials called for the voluntary evacuation “until they can find out what’s happening,” Miller said.

The evacuation could last as long as three days, he said, with several families being put up by the Red Cross. City inspectors were expected to evaluate the site again today, Miller said.