A sinkhole in Seffner, Florida in the United States that swallowed and killed a man in 2013 has opened once again for the third time.
According to Hillsborough County officials, the sinkhole opened again last July 10, which is said to be not unusual in central Florida considering the porous limestone base of the location.
“None of the homes surrounding this appear to be in any danger, this is not uncommon, what we’re seeing here,” said Hillsborough County Code Enforcement’s director Jon-Paul Lavandeira.
The hole is about 19 by 16 feet wide, and 19 feet deep, and is said to be “about the same size hole and pretty much the exact same location as it was in 2015,” Lavandeira said in an interview with an international news outlet.
This is the third time the sinkhole had opened, in 2013, the sinkhole opened where 37-year-old Jeffrey Bush was living, swallowing him, and was presumed to be dead after the rescue team couldn’t find him.
The land has then been acquired by Hillsborough County as conservation property and installed fences around the lot before it opened again in 2015.
After the occurrence in 2013 and 2015, the officials worked on filling the hole with water and gravel, which will be done again for the hole this time.
“It controls it to basically force it to reoccur in the exact same spot,” Lavanderia said, saying it was the best option for the sinkhole not to reappear in another spot. “You don’t want it to be a situation where it’s a whack-a-mole game where now it’s here then it’s there or something where it grows.”
As such, county officials said that the surrounding area remains safe.
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