A house in Falmouth, Nova Scotia, was condemned Sunday morning after three sinkholes formed on the property.
The main sinkhole is located at the front of the house, but two others were found during an investigation.
In the early hours of the morning, around 4 a.m., the family woke to noises in the lower level of their two-storey home.
The owner of the home told CTV News that she heard a loud bang and thought someone had broken in.
She says she was shocked when police told her that the noise was actually her house falling into the soil beneath her.
Fire crews evacuated the home owners and began calling neighbours to check if their homes were structurally sound.
“Neighbouring properties have been checked, both by the Hantsport Fire Department and homeowners, for any change in the land or homes,” said Don Dignan, REMO Coordinator for West Hants and Windsor.
Neighbour, Debby Rose says she was surprised to receive a call from the police.
“I went, why wouldn't it be sound? And he said, well, your neighbour's house is sinking into a big sink hole,” says Rose. “I was just floored. I was floored, I was dumbfounded, and it was so surreal this doesn't happen in Falmouth.”
No one was hurt, but officials say they are still investigating to determine the cause and whether the sinkhole will grow.
“It was extremely fortunate that no one was hurt,” West Hants CAO, Cathie Osborne said as she examined the property. “The whole house has been compromised and the site secured.”
The downstairs window of the home is cracked and was boarded up while the upstairs window was broken by crews to retrieve belongings.
The Falmouth house now bears bricks that are cracking, and falling off the facade of the house as a result of the sinkhole.
The house has started to tilt slightly where the garage meets the home.
The Municipality of the District of West Hants said they will be bringing in experts to assess the damage.
Officials say they anticipate the house will be demolished in the next few days and the homeowners were not able to gain access to remove their personal items from the home.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Emily Baron Cadloff
