Los Angeles Fire Department

San Pedro Home Collapses Amid Stormy Weather

A vacant home undergoing remodeling work collapsed in San Pedro, causing a gas leak that was quickly secured, amid Sunday's windy, rainy weather.

The collapse was reported about 6:30 p.m. at 733 S. Leland St., Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

No one was injured and there was no fire, Humphrey said.

Department of Building and Safety personnel were summoned to the scene, according to Humphrey, who said first responders are not tasked with determining the cause of the collapse.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department said though it wasn't 100 percent confirmed, the collapse was very likely weather-related.

The house may have shifted off its foundation, LAFD officials said.

James Santos, a neighbor, shot cellphone video from his home.

"The gas leak was probably louder than the crash -- that's what made me call 911. I was just envisioning an explosion," Santos said. "I know they took the foundation out to fix it and they didn't reinforce it and with the wind and the rain, the house just shifted and fell back."

The house was red-tagged Sunday night.

Neighbors said the previously owners sold the house just a few months ago.

The storm toppled countless trees across SoCal, flooded freeways and caused outages for more than 70,000 SoCal Edison customers Sunday. 

The high wind advisory was still in effect for the following counties until at least 12 p.m. Monday: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino.

Winds were clocked at 74 mph in Lebec near the Grapevine, while Pacoima at its peak saw 66 mph.

The coast couldn't escape the storm's wrath either, with the Redondo and Manhattan Beach piers getting shut down by police due to high and dangerous winds. 

City News Service contributed to this report. 

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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