Loosened by recent rains, a wall of earth and trees slid off a hillside and slammed into a house in Qualicum Beach early yesterday, moving the dwelling about half a metre and causing considerable damage. The occupants were unhurt.

“It sounded like a huge train coming down,” said Dr. Johann Wagenaar, who lives with his 80-year-old mother in the seaside home in the Eaglecrest subdivision, east of Qualicum Beach.

Emergency officials raced to the scene shortly after 3:10 a.m. when the second and worst of two slides took place. The occupants spent the rest of the night in a hotel.

Wagenaar’s house, which he has owned for 18 years, was declared off limits and taped off yesterday morning by the Qualicum Beach fire chief, a notice states.

The hillside rises about 45 metres behind the damaged dwelling. A house on top of the hill sat precariously close to the edge of the slide area yesterday.

The first slide occurred just after midnight, when a cedar tree slid into a storage room on the home’s west side.

Expecting more trouble, Wagenaar got his elderly mother up, and three hours later a “huge wall” of dirt and trees slammed into the home, shoving it off its foundation.

A decorative brick wall came crashing down inside, he said, spilling plants, dishes and paintings.

He and his mother realize how lucky they were not to have been hurt, he said, adding that neighbours have offered them use of their home. Wagenaar, a family physician in Qualicum Beach, said the area has experienced landslides in the past, but this was his first.

Mark Hing, who lives a few doors west of the damaged dwelling, said a number of trees were topped to improve the view, and then some became decayed and 13 were removed, which he thinks might have destabilized the hillside.

Wagenaar said an insurance company official said it’s uncertain whether the company will pay for slide damage. He was also told that other areas along the Island’s east side are at risk of landslides, given the recent heavy rains.

Another slide hit the Ocean Sands condominium, causing an evacuation and some structural damage. There were no reports of injuries.

Geotechnical engineers visited the properties yesterday, and city officials are warning people who live near steep slopes to be on alert. Qualicum Beach has endured heavy rainfall this week, including 30 millimetres overnight Thursday.