ENCINITAS, Calif. _ The day after an afternoon bluff collapse in Encinitas killed three people on the beach below, officials reopened areas of Grandview beach on both sides of the collapse.
At a morning news conference, Encinitas Lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles said his agency will post a lifeguard near the collapse zone, and keep an eye on the site.
The captain said the lifeguard tower near the scene was moved away from the area Saturday morning, and that officials have determined that "the area is still active." He said a geologist assessing the scene was "concerned about the areas to the side of the current failure failing."
Giles said the bluff failure did not put the homes on top of the cliff in immediate danger.
The collapse happened shortly before 3 p.m. Friday on a stretch of beach known as Grandview, popular surf spot with a narrow beach between the water and the sandstone cliffs.
Just north of the stairs leading to the sand, a roughly 30-foot-wide chunk of the cliff slipped away. The heavy sandstone crashed down onto people near the base of the cliff.
One woman died at the scene. Two others were rushed to hospitals, where they died. Authorities have not yet released their names, but officials on Friday said none of the dead were children.
"It just happened to take place outside his peripheral (vision)," Giles said, noting that the lifeguard had had his eyes trained on the water.
It's not yet clear when the collapse zone will reopen.
"We are going to continue on assessing that with the experts," Giles told reporters, "and the team will continue to reevaluate and determine how long we are going to keep that closed."
Asked by a reporter if last month's 7.1 earthquake in Ridgecrest _ roughly 200 miles away in Kern County, but felt in San Diego County _ could have been a factor in shaking the crumbling cliffs even looser, Giles said there had been no mention of that by the geologists assessing the bluff.
"It's just an erosion incident that took place at this location at the wrong time," Giles said.
