This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Officials in Florida said on Saturday a large sinkhole that swallowed two homes last month is growing.

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Pasco County officials said in a news conference that a large chunk of the edge of the hole had collapsed. Two more homes in Land O’Lakes, a Tampa suburb, were condemned.

The sinkhole, which opened up on 14 July, destroyed two homes and forced the evacuation of nine people. Five homeowners were allowed to return two days later. Not all did, fearing more problems with the massive pit outside their homes.

The hole is now about 260ft (79m) wide at its widest point. Officials are not sure what caused the destabilization, but think seismic vibrations from trucks and construction equipment around the hole could be to blame.

Kevin Guthrie, assistant county administrator of public safety in Pasco, said widening was expected with increased activity and there was no reason to believe the hole was active.



Dump trucks were scheduled to bring in boulders on Saturday, to try to stabilize one side of the sinkhole so a small barge could be brought in. Authorities hoped to create a boat ramp to enable work from the barge, which would float on water in the sinkhole.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that in resuming sinkhole clean-up, contractors had begun dumping truckloads of crushed limestone and boulders into the hole in an attempt to stabilize one side.

Guthrie said that when cleaning a sinkhole, the top priority is to be deliberate and methodical and to ensure no one gets hurt. “If we have to slow down, we slow down,” he said. “Speed is not of the essence here.”

The clean-up would take two to three weeks, he said, barring any more problems with the edges of the hole.

The Pasco County Commission awarded Ceres Environmental Services a $640,000 contract early last week to clean the sinkhole. Contractors began picking debris off the surface on Thursday before having to halt on Friday.

Officials were also still waiting on results from the state department of health after testing area wells for contamination.