Massive landslide threatens Washington state homes

(CNN) -- A massive landslide in Washington has destroyed one home and threatens more than a dozen others, an official and CNN affiliates in the Seattle area reported Wednesday.

One home has only about 10 feet of its backyard left after the slide on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, CNN affiliate KIRO reported. That home's resident was able to escape, said Ed Hartin, fire chief at Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue.

No injuries have been reported.

The landslide cut access to 17 homes, and residents have been taken out by boat, Hartin said. Others area homes were also evacuated.

Live video showed small sections of the cliff continuing to fall at 10:45 a.m. local time. Tons of earth had fallen into Puget Sound.

Fire officials first received a call about the slide shortly after 4 a.m., Hartin said. Residents reported hearing a sound like thunder around the time of the slide, CNN affiliate KING-TV reported.

A spokesman with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources said a team of geologists is on its way to Whidbey Island to investigate.

The cause of the landslide was not immediately clear. There hasn't been rain in the past few days, said Hartin, adding that the area is prone to landslides.