A U.S. Postal Service truck was nearly swallowed by a sinkhole on a road in Delaware, prompting local authorities to call for residents to evacuate.
Wilmington firefighters responded to a call about a vehicle, a USPS mail truck, partially trapped in a sinkhole around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Delaware News Journal reported.
Wilmington Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Pryor told the newspaper that the crack formed as a result of a pressurized water leak from a large water main inside the hole.
Pryor said the main was still leaking when firefighters arrived and the hole was expanding “rapidly.” The hole was approximately 10 feet by 15 feet in size and approximately 10 feet deep.
“We immediately evacuated about 10 houses on both sides of the street,” Pryor said. Several nearby roads were also temporarily closed and vehicles were moved.
Fortunately, no structural damage was found to any of the homes.
The water department has cut off the water supply to the block, which will remain cut off until the leak is repaired.
When the mail truck was removed, a gaping hole stretched about half the length of the street. As the photo shows, the other half was covered with metal tectonic plates.
