Another landslide in San Clemente has shut down a section of the town’s coastal beach trail, though rail service continues.
Debris fell onto the trail sometime in the evening of Sunday, Jan. 4, or early morning hours of Monday, Jan. 5, with the call coming into the Orange County Fire Authority at about 6 a.m., said OCFA battalion chief Nathan Arellano.
“We have a significant amount of dirt that came down from the hillside, blocking about 150 feet of the walking trail. It did come down onto the railroad, but is not affecting rail traffic at this time,” he said.
Landslides in recent years have forced a shutdown of rail service through the city multiple times.
A section of the dirt trail at Lasuen Beach, also known as Lost Winds, was blocked off and the city will send a geologist to assess the cliff’s stability, Arellano said.
City Manager Andy Hall said the trail has been closed pending assessment of whether debris removal could cause additional slippage.
Homeowners with houses near the crumbling cliff nearby have been notified, and Leslie Park above has been closed as a precaution, Arellano said.
The call came in from a walker before dawn and by about 8 a.m., the OCFA’s “live find” rescue dogs, Cooper and Nancy, and Rubble, which is trained for detecting someone who is deceased, were on scene sniffing the area for anyone who may have been trapped under the debris.
“We just want to do our due diligence to verify there’s no one under there,” Arellano said, getting the clear from K-9 handler Michael Bruce. “They didn’t hit on anything, which is a really good sign.”
OCTA spokesman Joel Zlotnik said rail service between San Clemente and Oceanside was suspended briefly in the early-morning hours due to debris.
“The small amount of debris from the hillside did not land on the track, but came into the rail right-of-way,” he said. “Trains are currently operating safely through the area without issue.”
The north end of the 2.3-mile trail has been shut down since Nov. 26 following a hillslide that posed danger on the popular beach trail.
But there have been a series of landslides in the area in recent years, starting in 2021 following a big storm and strong surf that damaged the railroad track and homes on the south end of the town, following by several landslides north of the pier that have shut down the rail line on several occasions, damaged the city’s historic Casa Romantica and destroyed the popular Mariposa Bridge.
The Orange County Transportation Authority has spent millions of dollars in its efforts to hold back the slipping hillsides, with a 1,400-foot-long reinforcement wall being built on the north end of town.
The city had to foot the bill – an estimated $8.5 million – to stabilize the historic Casa Romantica building and the hillside below.
Late last year, San Clemente officials voted to join a coalition with other coastal cities that are facing similar landslide threats and bluff failures.
City officials hope to urge the state to add landslides as emergencies, the same way fires and floods are, for assistance when they impact the city or personal property.
San Clemente resident Ann Beard was playing volleyball at the nearby beach, saying the landslides have become a common occurrence.
“I’m concerned, but it’s normal,” she said. “I thought it might happen with all the rain. That’s probably what most people around here think.”
Friend Nancy Wills hoped the debris will be cleaned up quickly, saying she walks the trail nearly every day.
Resident John Tully, an architect familiar with San Clemente’s landscape, said it’s a natural occurrence.
“It’s natural,” he said, “slopes are going to erode.”