A large sinkhole opened up suddenly in the middle of a street in La Jolla Thursday.

Images from a helicopter camera showed the hole on Campus Point Dr. filling with a glowing green liquid, which city water officials said was a non-toxic dye used to target the break in the pipe below.

The hole is expanding over two lanes just before the intersection of Campus Point Dr. and Campus Point Ct., just north of Scripps Memorial Hospital. No one was injured when the sinkhole opened.

Water near the sinkhole was shut off, affecting thousands of employees and residents. San Diego Gas and Electric also says they may have to shut off power, as the sinkhole is expanding toward a high voltage line in a trench close by.

The sinkhole was caused by a break in a rusty 30-inch storm drain pipe under the street, said Bill Harris, the San Diego storm water department spokesperson. He suspects that the pipe failed after Wednesday's rain storm.

Harris said the pipe that broke was unreliable, and the city hasn't installed them since 1992. This particular pipe was installed in 1979.

Employees in the nearby business park were sent home Thursday afternoon, since water in the building was shut down. In addition to the lack of water and potential power-outage, traffic in the area is already starting to back up.

The Scripps Memorial Hospital across the street will not be affected by the sinkhole. Business on the other side of the street -- such as Campus Point Technology Center and Science Applications International Corporation -- currently do not have water.

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