Two houses in Tampa, Florida were swallowed up by a sinkhole that took only a few minutes to form and destroy the houses.  The sinkhole measures 200 feet across and is 50 feet deep.  Eleven homes in the immediate vicinity were evacuated because of the danger of the hole increasing in size.  Officials are worried that the sinkhole will eventually merge with a nearby lake.

 The sinkhole opened up at about 9:30 a.m. in Pasco County, authorities said and it still seemed to be growing after for hours afterwards.

At first, just one home appeared to be at risk, but as the the ground continued to shift, it sank as a second home also began to subside and totally collapse.

After the home collapsed, the only thing that was visible was a roof and a side wall.

‘Please avoid the area canal place and Ocean Pines Drive in Lake Padgett Land o Lakes,’ the Pasco County sheriff’s office tweeted after the collapse Friday morning.

At a press conference just before midday, police confirmed that nobody was injured at the time of the collapse in either of the homes.

Eleven other houses in the street have also been evacuated as a precaution while geologists wait for the land to settle.

Emergency responders were called to home at 7:25 a.m. on Friday.

Initially, 911 dispatchers received a call about a boat that was falling into the hole, but then the situation quickly escalated.

By the time firefighters arrived at the house, the hole was about the size of a swimming pool and growing.

Officials say there is concern that the sinkhole could merge into a nearby lake.

Luckily, the residents had already left to go to work but firefighters did manage to rescued two dogs from inside the home.

H/T The Mail Online

What one of the houses originally looked like.