The Boise Fire Department says it will only respond to life-threatening emergencies in the Foothills where houses are sliding down a hillside.
Officials say the creeping landslide at Alto Via Court has created dangerous conditions. BFD wants Foothills users and curious onlookers to stay away from the site.
“This area is not safe and people should stay away for their own safety,” said Boise Fire Chief Dennis Doan. “Stability of the ground has created a number of very serious hazards that could be life threatening to anyone who ventures into the slide area or among these homes.”
The ground under the Terra Nativa subdivision has been slowly sliding for months. Cracking roads are closed in the area and houses are breaking up as they slide down the hill. Homeowners are suing the developer.
The fire department says the dangerous conditions mean they have a limited ability to respond to emergencies. First responders won’t go in the area unless someone’s life is in danger. If a fire breaks out in the slide area, it will be contained, with a goal of avoiding damage to homes adjacent to the area.
Doan says people curious about the slide should stop coming to the site for a look.
“They should know that they trespass here at their own risk,” said Chief Doan. “Unless we know someone’s life is in jeopardy, we cannot risk the lives of our firefighters by entering the slide area.”
BFD is worried children or teenagers trespassing into the area could fall into a crevice or wander into an unstable building.
“We’re lucky no one has been hurt yet,” Doan says.
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