An official at the Florida resort where a villa was partially swallowed into the ground says it doesn't appear the sinkhole on the site is growing.
Paul Caldwell, the president of the Summer Bay Resort in Clermont, told reporters during a news conference Tuesday that engineers examined the 100-foot sinkhole and determined there's no reason to believe it will grow.
PHOTOS: Sinkhole Causes Partial Collapse at Florida Resort
Caldwell says the resort about 10 miles west of Disney World remains open, but with three buildings still unoccupied. The resort is taking claims from guests staying in the collapsed building. Guests from two adjacent buildings that also were evacuated are being allowed in with escorts to retrieve possessions.
On Monday, about a third of one 24-unit villa collapsed. The three-story villa was reported as a total loss.
"It's not a patient. We have a building that’s potentially collapsing. I don't' know if it's a sinkhole or what,” said the man who made the first call to 911 about the incident on Monday.
Guests described popping and cracking noises, and the employee reported those sounds to 911.
"They said the third floor was starting to shift and windows were popping out,” he said. “They were thinking possible sinkhole but they don't know.”
In the middle of the call resort staff through the building and began evacuating. The caller wasn’t sure if their response was quick enough – but no injuries were reported.
About five months ago, a man was killed by a sinkhole that opened up beneath his home in Seffner, Florida, near Tampa.
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