Several homes evacuated after sinkhole opens in Wilmington, Delaware street

Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Mail truck partially swallowed up by sinkhole on Wilmington, Delaware street
Mail truck partially swallowed up by sinkhole on Wilmington, Delaware street

WILMINGTON, Delaware (WPVI) -- Several homes were evacuated on Wednesday after a large sinkhole opened up in a Wilmington, Delaware street.

City officials say the street collapsed after a water main, which was first installed in 1890, burst around 11:30 a.m.

Video shows a mail truck partially swallowed up by a sinkhole on the 800 block of W. 9th Street in downtown Wilmington.

The Wilmington Fire Department said the hole measured about 10 feet by 15 feet and was about 10 feet deep.

The hole opened up right in front of Jordan Thompson's home. While some homes were evacuated as a precaution, hers wasn't one of them.

"I was wondering if they were going to evacuate me, but no one ever knocked on my door and said that I needed to leave," said Thompson.

It's unclear exactly which homes were evacuated or why, but the fire chief believes it was about 10 homes were evacuated.

Once the water was shut off, crews were able to remove the mail truck from the hole. A Ford SUV parked nearby also had to be removed.

"The Explorer that is across the street from the truck also begun to lean into the hole," said Battalion Chief Robert Pryor of the Wilmington Fire Dept.

That SUV belongs to Johnson.

"My car was right here and I don't even know where that is," she said.

While Thompson tries to locate her car, crews have been working to locate the issue underground and fix it.

For now, water in the area has been shut off and this part of 9th Street is closed

The city says there's no timeline yet as to when the water will be back on or when 9th Street will be reopened.

No one was injured in this incident.

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