A Florida home was partially swallowed up by a massive sinkhole on Tuesday, though thankfully the family escaped without injury.
Orange County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Kat Kennedy says crews responded Tuesday morning, shortly after the Apopka house began sinking.
She says the sinkhole measured about 20 feet across and 15 feet deep.
No injuries were reported to the home’s residents. Kennedy says they’re staying with relatives.
The same family has lived in the house since 1969 and remodeled it five years ago.
A Florida home was partially swallowed up by a massive sinkhole on Tuesday, though thankfully the family escaped without injury
Orange County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Kat Kennedy says crews responded Tuesday morning, shortly after the Apopka house began sinking. The homeowner, Ellen Miller, is seen above surveying the damage on Tuesday
Kennedy says the sinkhole measured about 20 feet across and 15 feet deep
No injuries were reported to the home’s residents. Kennedy says they’re staying with relatives
The same family has lived in the house since 1969 and remodeled it five years ago
It’s unclear what caused the sinkhole.
Apopka is in central Florida, about 18 miles northwest of Orlando.
The initial signs that the structure of the home was compromised were seen Monday the previous evening.
‘We watched it all night and it got bigger and deeper and finally, at 4 in the morning, I saw big deep cracks in the bathroom,’ homeowner Ellen Miller told WFTV-TV.
‘We watched it all night and it got bigger and deeper and finally, at 4 in the morning, I saw big deep cracks in the bathroom,’ Miller (above) said
The family managed to grab whatever it could and moved it quickly onto the front lawn before the home gave way and cratered
Though it is not known definitively if the sinkhole was caused by the hurricane, scientists say that the phenomenon is not uncommon after a storm of that magnitude
‘The tub was sinking and the window was coming loose and I said, “It’s time to go”.’
The family managed to grab whatever it could and moved it quickly onto the front lawn before the home gave way and cratered.
They plan to stay next door in their daughter’s home while they figure out what to do next.
Florida continues its recovery following the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma which swept through the region last week.
Though it is not known definitively if the sinkhole was caused by the hurricane, scientists say that the phenomenon is not uncommon after a storm of that magnitude.
‘When you have heavy rains, the chances of sinkholes up quite a bit,’ said Dr. Manoj Chopra, a UCF engineering professor.
He said sinkholes can form when the rain and flood water caused by hurricanes start to recede.
Sinkholes can happen suddenly.
Miller said the hole under her home formed in a matter of hours.