Fire and ice: Placer road closed ‘severe winter storms,’ fire damage cause landslide

Eleven Pines Road in Placer County was closed Friday after an active landslide moved the road, according to the U.S. National Forest Service.

The road is closed between Wentworth Springs Road and the Rubicon River at Ellicot Bridge in the Eldorado National Forest, the Forest Service said in a news release.

Roadway damage is located north of the Wentworth Springs intersection, which was repaired last year after it was damaged by “severe winter storms,” according to the Forest Service.

“Slides along Eleven Pines Road are likely to keep occurring especially in wet years until the vegetation recovers from the 2014 King Fire which burned severely in this area,” the release said.

Older foliage has a complex root system and is more likely to take in more moisture. Since those burned in the fire, “the slopes continue to be prone to failure,” Forest Service officials said.