Nicolas Cage's Malibu Home Swallowed by Growing Sinkhole as 31 Homes Evacuated
A beachfront driveway collapse has widened into a 30-foot-deep sinkhole, forcing mass evacuations as officials warn an offshore hurricane could make it worse.
MALIBU, CALIF. — A driveway collapse at a beachfront home purchased by actor Nicolas Cage has widened into a sprawling sinkhole roughly 30 feet deep and 60 feet wide, prompting the city of Malibu to declare a local emergency and evacuate dozens of homes along a stretch of coastline already battered by days of heavy surf.
The collapse began Sept. 8 in the 31000 block of Sea Level Drive, according to NBC Los Angeles, and has continued to widen since. The city ordered evacuations for the homes along the affected block, all of which have since been red-tagged as structurally unsafe, and shut off gas and water service to the area. The American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter at Malibu High School for displaced residents.
A Celebrity Address, A Regional Problem
Property records reviewed by The Washington Times show the damaged home was purchased by Cage in 2024. Representatives for the actor did not respond to requests for comment.
Officials say the immediate trigger was days of unusually high surf and rain, worsened by swells from Hurricane Marie churning offshore. Deadline reports city officials have warned that continued high tides from the storm could expand the damage further in the coming days.
"THE WHOLE STREET CAN BE GONE."
"We do know that coastal erosion is happening right now. It's happening all over the Southern California coast," a city spokesperson told NBC Los Angeles. One evacuated resident put it more bluntly: "It's very, very concerning because this is my morning walk and the whole street can be gone."
No injuries have been reported. The stretch of Malibu coastline affected has long been considered geologically vulnerable, with erosion concerns predating this week's collapse by years. City engineers are continuing to monitor the sinkhole's stability, and officials have not said when evacuated residents might be allowed to return.
The incident adds Malibu to a growing list of California coastal communities grappling with the compounding effects of storm surf and erosion this year, even as the region braces for whatever is left of Hurricane Marie to pass offshore in the coming days.