A little more than a week after a sinkhole claimed the life of Florida homeowner Jeff Bush, another gaping hole in the Earth has opened up in Pennsylvania.
Doris Jenkins of Bethlehem Township left her house early Sunday morning to walk her dog when her driveway crumbled into a hole which ultimately grew to be 40-feet wide, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Jenkins, along with her daughter, Inga Jenkins, and granddaughter, Claudia Jenkins, were able to escape without getting hurt.
"I wasn't thinking that this was how I was going to be spend my Sunday afternoon," Inga told NBC.
The home now has foundational cracks and possible roof damage. For now, the Jenkins family has to remain out of their home, in part because of fumes arising from the hole.
Courtney Smith, who lives across the street, told My Fox Philly that police have informed her she may need to evacuate as well.
"Everybody in the house has bags ready to go," she told the station.
Bethlehem Township Assistant Fire Chief Ron Ford noted that work crews had been repairing a sewer line break in the neighborhood, but it's not yet clear exactly what caused the hole.
At least two other, smaller sinkholes have also popped up in the nearby area.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, sinkholes are a "definitive" part of the Pennsylvania landscape.
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