MUDSLIDE FLOODS SINGER'S HOME.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

GLENDALE - A mudslide forced Grammy-winner Wanda Vaughn of The Emotions to flee her Glendale home as a galaxy of stars were celebrating their own Grammy Award wins at the Staples Center, authorities said Thursday.

The slide was caused by a leak in a 1-inch irrigation pipe on a hillside near Vaughn's home, officials said.

Mud crashed through a sliding-glass door into Vaughn's kitchen about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and also spread into the living room.

``It's like one of those `Jurassic Park' things, you know, but it was just mud, and it kept getting higher,'' Vaughn said.

Vaughn grew up in Chicago and formed The Emotions with two sisters. The r&b group is best known for the 1970s songs ``Best of My Love,'' ``I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love'' and ``Don't Ask My Neighbors.''

Vaughn was cooking in the kitchen when the mud came crashing in.

``It grabbed hold of her foot and she had to work at getting out of there,'' said Capt. Steven Parrish of the Glendale Fire Department. ``She was temporarily grabbed hold of by the mud and it took the assistance of another family member to get her out of there.''

Vaughn's knee was hurt and she was taken to the hospital, daughter Wendi Vaughn said. The slide left 12 inches to 16 inches of mud in the kitchen and 6 inches to 8 inches in the living room, Parrish said.

The hillside that the slide came from is owned by Forest Lawn Memorial-Park cemetery, but the hill doesn't have any graves. Forest Lawn put the family up at a hotel and is paying for cleanup at the home, said John Warren, senior vice president of the company.

``It's an accident, it was a fluke that certainly no one would expect to happen,'' Warren said. ``But we worked very well with the family. They've been very appreciative.''

Wendi Vaughn, who was not home when the mudslide happened, said the only warning her mother had was a popping noise from a tree crashing down. But Wanda Vaughn did not have time to turn before the mud slid in.

``We've been living here for 24, 25 years; nothing like that (has happened before),'' she said. ``I would totally believe it's an accident as well.''

Vaughn grabbed her awards before leaving her home, including her Grammy. The home was flooded with mud as the 48th Annual Grammy Awards was taking place just miles away at the Staples Center.

City officials red-tagged the home, preventing any of the occupants from entering it Wednesday night. Thursday morning, the Vaughn family was allowed to go back into the home, but they need to hire a contractor to clear the mud, Parrish said.

Two neighboring homes were also evacuated, but they were not damaged and residents were allowed back into those homes hours after the slide.

The mudslide caused an estimated $225,000 in damages, according to the Fire Department.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Grammy Award-winning singer Wanda Vaughn surveys the damage to her Glendale home Thursday from a mudslide the day before.

(2) Wanda Vaughn meets with John Warren of Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, after a mudslide that began at the cemetery flooded her Glendale home Wednesday.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer