Sinkhole Devours Half of Home in Florida

A giant sinkhole swallowed the back half of a Tampa Bay, Fla., area home and is threatening nearby homes.

Homeowner Susan Minutillo says she returned from running errands Wednesday afternoon to find half of her house destroyed. The Tampa Bay Times said emergency crews shut off electricity and water to the Hudson home and Pasco County officials placed a “condemned” sign on the garage door.

Seventy-nine-year-old Minutillo fled to a neighbor’s home. But officials told Howard and Shirley Taylor that their home was also unsafe and ordered them to evacuate as well.

Firefighters went into Minutillo’s house to get her cell phone charger and prescriptions. Officials say more than 50 percent of her home had been destroyed by late Wednesday.