LEUCADIA, Calif. --
There were tense moments in Leucadia as firefighters performed a risky rescue on an unstable cliffside.
A landscaper, who was trying to shore up the side of a cliff behind a home, was injured Thursday morning, when the earth collapsed on top of him, officials said. It happened around 11:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Neptune Avenue, just south of Beacons Beach.
When firefighters and lifeguards arrived, they found the man with his legs stuck beneath the dirt. The Encinitas Fire Department chief told NBC 7/39 the 42-year-old victim was taken to Scripps La Jolla Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Firefighters said the rescue was tense because they didn't know how unstable the hillside was. They also said the worker was in a considerable amount of pain when they arrived.
Engineers with the city of Encinitas arrived at the scene soon after the rescue. They told NBC 7/39 the owners of the property had illegally hired the men to do unpermitted work on the bluff. The city of Encinitas requires permits for any type of work on the cliffs, other than the placement of tarps.
The engineers also said the recent rain was likely one reason for the collapse, but that the entire area is part of a previous landslide, and they said the cliffs will continue to erode. The sandstone that makes up the cliffs is slowly making its way toward the back yards of homes along Neptune Ave.
The collapse is considered a relatively "minor failure" according to firefighters.
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