SWOYERSVILLE, Pa. — About two and a half miles away from a mine subsidence in Luzerne, a sinkhole is opening up in Swoyersville. This one is in the backyard of two homes.
It's a sight homeowner Timothy Fleig never expected to see in his backyard. A sinkhole opened up under his garage near Hughes Street in Swoyersville.
"I really wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe a small hole opened up that everyone panicked about, but then you get here, and it's 10 feet wide," Fleig said.
Swoyersville DPW says that the hole is now closer to about 15 feet in diameter and still growing.
"At this time, it is expanding underneath. It is undertowing underneath. So, we're going to try to get it stopped so we don't lose the garage behind us," said Rob Koval, an assistant supervisor for the Swoyersville street department.
DPW workers have not officially connected this sinkhole to the mine subsidence in Luzerne but say there's a possibility the two could be connected.
"Unfortunately, with the weather we've been having, they're opening up all over the place," Koval said.
DPW says no one had to leave their homes, and no one was hurt.
As for Fleig, he never thought this was a possibility when he purchased this home eight years ago.
"I'm just worried about property values and stuff like that, you know? Mine shaft opening up in the back ground."
DPW says they're working to fill the sinkhole with rocks and gravel to get it under control.