Cliff Collapsing Behind South Attleboro Church

ATTLEBORO (CBS) – Soil and rock are collapsing from a cliff right behind a South Attleboro church. It's a frightening scene, but the pastor and parishioners at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church have faith they'll be safe.

When developers started clearing away the land behind the building, no one thought there would be an issue because the church was sitting on solid rock. But then, congregation members noticed some erosion, and part of the cliff falling away.

"The only change was that some of the sedimentary mud on top of the rocks itself over the last couple of days with the rain we had, had washed down and covered some of the rock," says Attleboro Deputy Fire Chief Glenn Livesey. "So it appeared to be different."

So the developers brought in engineers, who used lasers to determine that the cliff was stable.

"The rock face itself is stable, and poses no threat to the building or any occupants that would occupy the building during church services," Deputy Chief Livesey says.

But for a time, congregation members were more than a little concerned.

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