A home's owners are being sued by the City of Bellevue after it was destroyed by a landslide in the middle of January.

Security has been stepped up after a break-in at the Bellevue home slide.

John and Barb Surdi spent twenty years residing in the three-story house before it collapsed. It's thought that a broken water main flooded the hillside beneath the building, which caused it to be thrown off its foundations.

Over 40 individuals and a number of dogs had to leave an estimated 17 residences in the vicinity as a result of the event. Since then, five houses have received red tags designating them as unfit for either the general public or their owners to enter.

The Surdis were allegedly handed a request to tear down the house, which the City of Bellevue claims they later rejected. Shortly after, the city filed its lawsuit, describing the house as "an urgent hazard" and stating that "natural occurrences such as wind, rainfall, or seismic activity" could cause additional harm to the neighborhood.

The Surdis haven't been allowed back into their home to retrieve personal belongings, according to their attorney Dave Bricklin, who told KIRO 7 TV that the city intends to "cart everything away to the landfill," according to the lawsuit, which asks a judge to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the couple from "interfering with the city's demolition of the residence."

Bricklin added, "It's really sad that the city has gone in with this really heavy-handed attitude. "We've been investigating various possibilities, one of which is the possibility that the city is to blame. It was truly adding insult to injury to have the Surdis end up being sued by the city.

After becoming trapped inside a Seattle house that slid off its foundations, a dog was rescued.

In response to the case, Brad Harwood, a spokesman for Bellevue, said that the city "doesn't consider this legal action likely."

He told KIRO 7 TV, "We understand the Surdi family is facing a horrible circumstance. Sadly, the location is hazardous, so we must go more swiftly.

Moving forward, Bricklin expressed his hope that a compromise between the Surdis and the city may be reached before a judge had to become involved. If not, he stated that the couple might think about filing their own lawsuit against the city.