Firefighters were called out to the 2000 block of Sepviva Street around 10:00 Friday morning for a large sinkhole in front of 2017 and 2019.
The hole ended up stretching 30 feet long and sinking twenty feet deep.
PGW and the Philadelphia Water Department responded to the scene.
Gas feeder lines to two homes ended up being severed by the sinkhole, explaining the odor of gas. The gas main was not damaged. PGW has since capped those lines.
According to Laura Copeland, of the Water Department, there are water leaks on two service lines that supply one home with water. Those two lines have also been capped.
11 residents, including some senior citizens, have been evacuated at this time. All but two of those evacuated should be allowed back into their homes by this evening. The remaining two are the ones whose gas meter lines were ruptured.
So far, it does not appear that the structural integrity of any nearby homes has been compromised.
So far, no word on how the sinkhole developed.
