Most of Fla. house over sinkhole demolished - WDRB 41 Louisville - News, Weather, Sports Community

Most of Fla. house over sinkhole demolished

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SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) -- Crews have razed more than half of the Tampa-area home perched over a huge sinkhole that swallowed a man three days ago.

They managed to salvage some keepsakes for family members who lived there.

The operator of the heavy equipment worked gingerly, first taking off a front wall. Family belongings were scooped onto the lawn gently in hopes of salvaging parts of the family's 40-year history in the home.

Demolition has stopped for the day and only a few walls of the home remain.

Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill says the remaining walls of the home would be knocked down Monday and then crews would turn to clearing the debris as much as possible to allow officials and engineers to see the sinkhole in the open. Officials also will determine what will happen to the two homes on either side of the demolished house.

Experts say the sinkhole has "compromised" those homes, but it's unclear whether steps can be taken to save them.

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  • Thanks to a grant from Norton Healthcare, this story and others are available in real-time closed captioning on WDRB.
    Thanks to a grant from Norton Healthcare, this story and others are available in real-time closed captioning on WDRB.