50-foot-deep sinkhole threatens Windermere home

WINDERMERE, Fla. — A massive sinkhole continues to expand, threatening a Windermere home in the Summerport neighborhood.

TYPES: Map of Florida areas prone to sinkholes

LOCATIONS: County-by-county locations

Officials said the sinkhole has already swallowed four oak trees already and one of the homeowner’s hammocks.

The hole has grown to 100 feet wide and 50 feet deep and is now within 3 feet from the back of a home along Indian Deer Road, according to officials.

The Lambro family woke up Thursday to a back yard that was quickly disappearing.

“When we came outside, it was just dropping into the hole,” said Steve Lambro. “We said, ‘Get the kids,’ and it was like a mini-avalanche inside there."

Representatives from the Orange County Building Department were called to the scene and have deemed the home unsafe to live in at this time.

The Lambros and their four children had moved into the home only two months ago. They’re now staying with family members while crews assess the sinkhole and the dangers it presents.

"I'm thankful that nobody was hurt. That's the main thing," said Steve Lambro.

Firefighters spent the day helping the Lambros pile their belongings onto the driveway, but they couldn’t do much about the expanding hole.

“That's really up to the geotechs and the insurance company,” said Genevieve Latham of Orange County Fire Rescue. “We don't really involve ourselves with that process."

WFTV