WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — Residents in an Orange County neighborhood said a sinkhole opened up near their homes.
The hole forced crews to shut down a road in the Orchard Hill subdivision on Cypress Hill Road, not far from State Road 429.
Residents said the hole was filled with dirt and it’s not blocked by barricades.
“It’s pretty scary. We don’t want it to spread,” said Heather Kelly.
Kelly and her family live feet away from what the county calls an active sinkhole.
“It’s a lot wider now than it was in the first place,” said Kelly.
Residents said the sinkhole was 6 inches deep and, before it was filled, it had grown to a depth of 12-feet.
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“We’re always concerned. This is a new home. We’ve been here for about a year,” Kelly said.
Even though crews have packed the hole with dirt, an Orange County spokesperson said it may take another week or so to fix.
The county hired Winter Springs-based Inwood Consulting engineers to come up with a plan of action to repair it.
It’s not clear how much the repair will cost.
The county said consultants believe the sinkhole is not a threat to residents.
Kelly said she was told sinkholes likely wouldn’t form in her neighborhood.
“They did a compression test on the land and they basically guaranteed there were no sinkholes here,” Kelly said.