Thirty-one homes face evacuation orders in Malibu after a massive driveway collapse on Sea Level Drive created a 25-foot-deep sinkhole at an oceanfront residence. The Tuesday morning emergency prompted gas shutoffs, red-tagged structures, and warnings regarding severe coastal flood risks along the Southern California coastline.
Sea Level Driveway Collapse Triggers Malibu Evacuation Orders
The city of Malibu declared a local emergency following a catastrophic property collapse on the 31600 block of Sea Level Drive.
Property records indicate the coastal mansion is owned by actor Nicolas Cage. Representatives for the actor did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the incident. Cage, 62, has appeared in more than 100 films, winning an Oscar and Golden Globe for his role in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas.
His Prime Video series “Spider-Noir,” despite being an awards season favorite, has been canceled.
By evening, the expanding cavity measured approximately 25 feet deep and spanned 30 by 60 feet across. Authorities warned that adjacent high tides and weather conditions could exacerbate the structural failure.
Red Tags and Gas Shutoffs Impact 31 Coastal Residences
The gated community, which sits between the ocean and the iconic Pacific Coast Highway and abuts Lechuza Beach, faces severe access restrictions. City officials red-tagged seven residences due to hazardous physical conditions, while another 24 homes received red tags stemming from the complete loss of safe vehicular access.
Emergency infrastructure in the area suffered immediate disruption. Utility provider SoCalGas responded to a gas leak that occurred just before 6 a.m. triggered by the initial morning collapse.
City officials cautioned that water service to the affected neighborhood might also be discontinued as conditions warrant. A temporary evacuation shelter was established for displaced residents at Malibu High School, located at 30215 Morning View Drive.
Emergency Access Constraints and Severe Weather Warnings
Municipal authorities emphasized that the road failure presents an immediate danger to public safety operations. The sheer scale of the collapse has severely constrained emergency personnel access.
“Emergency personnel access is severely constrained and may be impassable, due to the large portion of the road that has collapsed,” the city wrote in the emergency declaration. “The intact portion of the roadway is too narrow to accommodate emergency response vehicles, including fire engines and other large apparatus, creating a substantial risk to public safety and emergency response capabilities.”
The city of Malibu, Emergency Declaration
The emergency declaration further stressed that conditions around the sinkhole pose an imminent danger to adjacent homes in the gated community. It remains unclear how long the evacuation order will remain in place.
The geological instability coincides with severe coastal weather driven by the lingering effects of Marie, which had been a hurricane before turning back into a tropical storm. Although the storm did not make landfall, it brought rain and churned up dangerous waves along the Southern California coastline over the holiday weekend. The National Weather Service issued high surf and coastal flood advisories until 11 p.m. Tuesday for the Malibu coast, L.A. County beaches, Catalina and Santa Barbara islands and Ventura County beaches. Large breaking waves of 4 to 7 feet were expected, with local waves of up to 8 feet, alongside dangerous and potentially life-threatening currents and significant beach erosion and flooding in low-lying coastal areas during high tide.
In the emergency declaration, the city also noted the danger of further coastal erosion posed by this fall and winter’s El Niño event. A strengthening ‘super’ El Niño brings a high risk of record sea levels, severe coastal flooding, and dramatic beach narrowing to the California coast this winter,
the city wrote.
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