Landslide is growing after taking 2 homes in Tennessee. Entire road may soon collapse

The landslide that dragged two large homes into the flooded Tennessee River over the weekend is not over, according to officials in Hardin County, about 100 miles east of Memphis.

Hardin County Fire Department officials posted photos Tuesday showing the 4800 block of Glendale Road is also collapsing and gawkers are being warned to stay away.

“Please stay safe and away from this area. The land still has not settled, and is shifting slightly more,” the department posted on Facebook.

“We know that everyone wants to see, and we know that there are those who want a ‘perfect shot,’ but we urge you to not risk your well being by going into this area. Remember that this section of the road is permanently closed.”

Fire officials did not say if more homes are in danger, but the road remains closed as authorities await the seemingly inevitable.

Multiple cracks have split the pavement right down the middle, and the dirt is already starting to fall away from the side of the road near the homes that collapsed.

The same video includes scenes of the aftermath of what happened over the weekend, when two multi-story homes and surrounding trees slid off the bluff. Both homes broke into pieces and scattered their contents across the hillside.

Only one home was occupied when a landslide became imminent, and the department reported on Facebook that the homeowners were evacuated about an hour before the first home fell.

The second two-story home tumbled mid-morning on Sunday, the department said.

A 20-second video shared by the fire department late Saturday showed the moment one of the homes fell into the river after dark.

Cracking and snapping boards are heard as the home’s green walls begin to shift. It then teeters off the bluff into the dark, as power lines send sparks into the night.

“Oh my God,” someone is heard saying in the background.

The names of the homeowners had not been released Monday.

The area is known as Chalk Bluff and it sits high above the Tennessee River, which has been flooded in recent days.

County officials reported late last week that the river was at flood stage, following days of heavy rain.

The fire department posted multiple videos Monday showing widespread flooding along rivers and creeks in the county.

This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Landslide is growing after taking 2 homes in Tennessee. Entire road may soon collapse."