It is suspected that there is a possible sinkhole in Pinellas County, Florida. On Thursday, many people were forced to evacuate their homes in Dunedin after a hole allegedly appeared in the backyard of a family home.

The sinkhole appeared around 5 a.m. consuming the home and frightening the confused residents who were uncertain of what was happening.

The Dupre family resided in the home where the sinkhole opened and where it caused the most damage. Michael Dupre, the father, reported that initially he was not sure what was happening:

“At the beginning we thought somebody broke in the house. My daughter Ivy woke me up and said ‘Daddy somebody’s in the house.’ So I got the rifle, started looking around, and I saw this screen room out of the back window just three feet off the ground, so I knew there was something going on sinkhole-wise, so I got the family out.”

After realizing what was happening and getting his family out the home, Dupre made a frantic phone call to 911.

Dupre claimed that he had prior knowledge of the sinkhole but he did not agree with how the insurance company wanted to fix the problem. But Dupre said that after hearing about the Seffner sinkhole, which swallowed and killed Jeffrey Bush on February 28^th of this year, they decided to allow the company to begin making repairs.

Repairs to the home had just begun two days prior to the appearance of the sinkhole and the destruction to the Dupre’s propery. The sinkhole expanded to be around 70 feet wide and 50 feet deep.

Seven families had to pack up and leave their homes while the workers investigated the condition of the sinkhole. Residents were asked to be quiet so they could assess whether the sinkhole was still growing. Officials believe that the sinkhole is still moving and people are being kept away.

Other sources and image via abc news

Video via abc news, youtube.com