Crumbling wall threatens Saugus homes

SAUGUS – Eight families were forced from their homes on Hesper Street Thursday in fear of a partially collapsed retaining wall.Permitted by the town, the 400-foot, 30-foot tall embankment was installed when a four-home development was constructed on elevated land facing Hitching Hill Road located behind Hesper Street.On Thursday, a 50-foot section of the wall collapsed, sending 400 lb. stone blocks and dirt sliding down an incline toward Hesper Street.Town officials are placing blame on Thursday’s torrential rains and an unidentified contractor who had been working without permits for the collapse.Neighbors clamored for answers about the collapse Friday, but Acting Town Manager John Vasapolli said it would be at least a week before engineers could conduct further testing to determine what to do next because they could not deem the area safe for residents to return home after an inspection Friday.Vasapolli did not know the name of the contractor who had been working in the vicinity of the wall this week, but he did say the town did not issue permits for the work.”That work coupled with the rain may have caused the wall to fail,” he said, adding, “We can’t tell residents with certainty that the wall is safe. If you want to go in, it’s at your own risk.”Firefighters asked residents on Hesper, a side street off Hamilton Street, to evacuate their homes Thursday night. At least one family reportedly spent the night in a hotel.Frustrated neighbors say they’ve been fighting the builder of the housing development for four years, who reportedly walked away from the project without reason.Vasapolli said the town is in the process of contacting the bank involved in financing construction of the four homes, which are now owned by a foreclosure mortgage company.Shaken by the events, Hesper Street resident Dina Borda told reporters she couldn’t sleep Thursday night and is nervous because she doesn’t know what’s going to happen next.”It’s very disturbing and I don’t feel that we’re getting any help or any answers,” she said.Vasapolli said the Planning Board and town and state engineers originally inspected plans for the retaining wall and signed off on its construction.