The latest in a string of odd geological incidents in Florida is a sinkhole that opened up in a homeowner’s backyard, nearly swallowing the swimming pool.
A hole 40-50 feet wide and 30-40 feet deep opened up in Orange County on Monday night, forcing the homeowners to evacuate. Oddly enough, a pool party had just been enjoyed on Sunday and nothing was amiss. The owners came back from dinner last night to find a huge hole in the yard and the in-ground pool slowly sinking.
The cause of the sinkhole is being investigated and residents are staying away until officials say it’s safe to reenter; right now, the hole is 20 feet from the back door of the home.
“You wonder how big it will eventually get,” said neighbor Jim Frank.
In March, a sinkhole opened up in Hillsborough County, Florida and took out an entire room of a home, swallowing a resident with it. The man’s brother said he jumped in and tried to grab his hand, but was too late.
“It swallowed his whole bedroom, his dresser — everything in his room is gone,” Jeremy Bush said. “All I could see was the top of his bed. So I jumped in the hole and tried digging him out. I thought I could hear him screaming for me and hollering for me.”
Just a week later, a second sinkhole appeared at a residence in Tampa Bay.
Investigators say they aren’t sure what caused the latest incident, but some think local construction may have something to do with it.
