Florida sinkhole that swallowed two houses and a boat stops growing

A sinkhole that swallowed two houses and a boat in Florida has stopped growing, officials say.

In this aerial photo, debris is strewn about after a sinkhole damaged two homes in Land O' Lakes, Fla. on Friday, July 14, 2017.

In this aerial photo, debris is strewn about after a sinkhole damaged two homes in Land O' Lakes, Fla. on Friday, July 14, 2017. Source: Tampa Bay Times

A sinkhole that swallowed a boat and destroyed two homes has stopped growing and officials say they will monitor it over the weekend before determining when clean-up can begin.

The hole has been stagnant since Friday afternoon, said Kevin Guthrie, Pasco County's assistant administrator for public safety.

He confirmed that the hole, which is 76 metres wide and 15 metres deep, is the largest in three decades in the county, which has a history of sinkholes.

Dramatic video showed the home in Land O' Lakes, north of Tampa, collapsing into the hole on Friday morning. It quickly engulfed one home and a boat and then consumed about 80 per cent of another home.

Guthrie said 11 homes in all have been affected. A third home lost about 15 metres of driveway and a septic tank.

Guthrie said all three homeowners had insurance.

State geologists and environmental officials will continue to monitor the sinkhole over the weekend before determining when clean-up can begin.

The scene is being considered a hazardous materials incident because of possible septic tank issues and building debris. Guthrie said that chemicals from at least three septic tanks are in the sinkhole.

Clean-up will likely take weeks while repairs to the road and the damaged lots will take months.

Sinkholes are stabilised by boring holes into the ground and injecting concrete.

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Source: AAP



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