Six large sinkholes, one measuring 20ft wide and 35ft deep, are threatening homes in Florida, officials said.
Residents had to evacuate their homes on Thursday after six sinkholes opened up in The Villages in Marion County, Florida.
One was 20ft wide and 35ft deep forcing crews to shut off the utilities and evacuate two homes because they were too unstable to live in.
Officials are working to fix the six sinkholes before they destroy any of the nearby homes.
Six sinkholes formed on Thursday morning in Marion County, Florida. One sinkhole measured 20ft in width and 35ft in depth. Two homes closes to the sinkhole were evacuated
Residents of The Village in Marion County heard a rumble on Thursday morning around 8am. The first sinkhole formed and then five more followed throughout the day
‘I have a sinkhole, my house is falling. I hear all the cracking noise, and I look out, and there is a great big hole in the front of my house,’ one homeowner told a 911 operator, according to WKMG-TV.
The sinkholes developed around 8am on Thursday and continued to form late into the afternoon.
One, measuring 20ft wide and 35ft deep, forced officials with Marion County Police Department to evacuate two homes and turn off the utilities for another two propertoess.
Geologists are working with officials to survey the holes and fix them before they destroy any of the homes nearby. The sinkholes were unstable on Friday morning
Workers at a golf course near The Village attempted to drain the man-made lake nearby to help officials stabilize the sinkholes.
One of the sinkholes reached far underneath a home, which concerned officials.
‘It was a real surprise because I thought it was thunder, but here it was rumbling,’ homeowner Frank Newman said to WKMG-TV.
He has since been evacuated from his home as officials attempt to fix the large sinkholes.
Geologists surveyed the sinkholes to understand how they formed, but some are currently too unstable to analyze.
No injuries were reported.