New Ketchikan landslide blocks road, cutting off motorists

A landslide blocked a road in Ketchikan on Sunday, inititally cutting off a half-dozen vehicles, just over a month after a devastating slide into downtown killed a city worker and injured several people.

The slide on Revilla Road around 8 p.m. did not lead to any injuries but cut off six vehicles with eight people inside, according to reports from city officials. The area received heavy rainfall in recent days. The slide started at an elevation of 800 feet, state officials said.

By Monday morning, officials said in an update, several people had walked out and a family of four remained in their vehicle. All six vehicles had been moved to a nearby paintball field, they said.

By afternoon, crews were working on cleanup, according to an update from the state transportation department. One lane was temporarily cleared to allow a vehicle out but the road remained closed.

Crews from the North Tongass Fire Department as well as medics responded Sunday evening and communicated with the stranded people by phone, officials said. They were also on scene Monday.

The Third Avenue landslide struck a densely populated neighborhood in Ketchikan on Aug. 25, killing 42-year-old Sean Griffin, a city public works employee who was clearing stormwater drains on a day off from work. Two other people were taken to the hospital.