1 dead, 3 injured in Ketchikan landslide that damaged homes and forced evacuations

A landslide in Ketchikan on Sunday killed one person and sent three others to the hospital, and authorities said the potential for another remained a concern.

Multiple homes were damaged by the landslide in downtown Ketchikan that forced the evacuations of dwellings on several streets, borough officials said. Three people were taken to the Ketchikan Medical Center. One person was treated and released; two others have been admitted, officials said.

It “is with a heavy heart we relay that a landslide in the city has taken a life, caused several injuries, damaged homes and impacted our community,” said Rodney Dial, Ketchikan Gateway Borough mayor, in a prepared statement Sunday evening.

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough said that the landslide had “severely impacted” the community.

The landslide hit around 4 p.m. A mandatory evacuation order was in place for homes in the area of Third Avenue, Second Avenue/Water Street, First Avenue and White Cliff Avenue between Austin Street and Nadeau Street, the borough said in a social media post Sunday evening. The evacuation order remained in effect until further notice.

“A potential secondary landslide area has been identified south of the original slide location,” the borough said. “Response crews are standing by.”

Photos and videos posted to social media showed a large landslide on a hillside above residential areas and it appeared at least some dwellings were damaged.

An emergency shelter has been set up at Ketchikan High School.

At around 9 p.m. Sunday, Jeremy Zidek, spokesperson for Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said by text message that seven people were in the shelter, according to the American Red Cross. Those numbers were subject to change throughout the night, he added.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office said he had issued a verbal disaster declaration, and “directed state agencies to make available all resources and staff for the response effort.”

Power and internet was restored to much of the city by 8:15 p.m., borough officials said. However, power remained out in areas close to the landslide. It would be restored in the next few days as the area was cleared and broken power poles were replaced, borough officials said.

Ketchikan City Hall was set to be closed on Monday, along with all Ketchikan schools.

City of Ketchikan Mayor Dave Kiffer said that multiple landslides in recent years across the region need further investigation. Over the past decade, landslides have killed 12 people in Southeast Alaska and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage.

“In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude,” Kiffer said in a prepared statement.

This is a developing story and will be updated.