A sinkhole opened early Tuesday morning in front of the mansion that Nicolas Cage owns in Malibu, California.
The incident forced authorities to restrict access to the community and evacuate dozens of residents from the area.
The collapse occurred in the 31600 block of Sea Level Drive, in the Lechuza Beach area.
It affected both the vehicle entrance of the home and part of the adjacent roadway. The hole reached nearly nine meters by nine meters in width.
Towards the night, it measured about 7.6 meters deep by between 9 and 18 meters in extent.
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Los Angeles County Fire Department units arrived at the scene around 5:45 a.m., after receiving a report of a suspected gas line break.
Public Information Officer Jonathan Torres confirmed the emergency call and attributed the collapse to coastal erosion.
Upon arrival, crews found that the asphalt and concrete of the driveway had completely collapsed, with debris and fragments of asphalt inside the hole.
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The collapse also dragged a portable toilet from a construction site and debris from a private fence.
The company SoCalGas confirmed that a half-inch pipe was damaged during the collapse.
Their crews worked alongside emergency services to shut off the supply, assess the damage, and analyze potential repairs.
The city of Malibu red-tagged 31 homes in the area, meaning they were considered unsafe or uninhabitable due to potential risks or severe damage.
The evacuation order issued by the municipality attributed the “expanding” sinkhole to coastal erosion.
Local authorities warned that conditions near the sinkhole are “likely to worsen” following high tides and rains caused by Hurricane Marie.
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Aerial images showed waves breaking beneath the house through the opening formed in the ground.
According to photographs of the site, the collapse extended to the beach located below the property. No injuries were reported and no one was in the residence at the time of the collapse.
“It doesn’t look like anyone was home. In fact, the residence looks as if it were under some kind of renovation,” noted reporter Rich Prickett, of KTLA5, during the live coverage.
A representative for the actor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The National Weather Service maintained high surf and coastal flooding advisories for the Malibu coast, Los Angeles County beaches, Catalina Island, the Santa Barbara Islands, and Ventura County beaches. Source: Infobae
