Demolition crews have partially razed Florida home of Jeffrey Bush, who is presumed dead after he was swallowed up by a sinkhole under his bedroom.
Rescuers earlier ended efforts to find the body of Jeffrey Bush, 36, whose bedroom was engulfed by the 6 m (20 ft) hole on as he slept on Thursday night.
Sinkholes are common in parts of Florida, although most are quite small.
Experts are trying to ascertain how far the underground cavity reaches and whether more homes are at risk.
All homes near to the house in Seffner – a suburb of 8,000 people 25 km (15 miles) east of central Tampa – have been evacuated.
Officials have created a 100ft-wide safety zone fearing the top of the sinkhole is growing.
Jeffrey Bush’s house covers most of the hole, and a local official said crews would try to move the building forward to enable surviving family members to retrieve their belongings from it.
“We don’t know, in fact, whether it will collapse or whether it will hold up,” said Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill.
On Sunday, the demolition crews left standing only a few walls of the house.
They were proceeding as carefully as possible to salvage at least some of the home’s contents for five survivors.
Demolition crews have partially razed Florida home of Jeffrey Bush, who is presumed dead after he was swallowed up by a sinkhole under his bedroom
A Bible, family photos and a woman’s purse were among the items saved.
The demolition is expected to be completed on Monday and experts would then examine the hole.
Just before the crews started their work, 35-year-old Jeremy Bush, who had tried to save his brother, was seen praying outside the house.
Five people escaped unharmed, after hearing a loud crash and Jeffrey Bush screaming as the earth crumbled below the house.
Jeremy Bush said he jumped into the chasm to dig his brother out but failed. He was later rescued by police. .
Rescuers then used listening devices and cameras at the scene, but found no signs of life.
“There’s no way of possible survival,” said fire rescue spokeswoman Jessica Damico on Saturday.
Jeremy Bush told reporters that someone had visited the four-bedroom house some weeks ago to check for sinkholes and other issues but found nothing wrong.
“And a couple of months later, my brother dies. In a sinkhole,” he said.
Florida state law requires home insurers to provide coverage against sinkholes.
Experts say much of Florida sits on a system of limestone caverns which are subject to water erosion, causing them to collapse.
[youtube a9F_NDWUeyo]
Rescue teams in Florida have called off their efforts to recover the body of Jeffrey Bush, the man who was swallowed by a huge sinkhole under his home.
Jeffrey Bush, 36, who is presumed dead, disappeared into the sinkhole that engulfed his bedroom while he slept on Thursday night.
The house, in the suburbs of Tampa, will be destroyed, officials said.
Sinkholes are common in certain parts of Florida, although most are quite small.
“At this point it’s really not possible to recover the body,” Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said.
He added: “We are dealing with a very unusual sinkhole.”
Experts are trying to ascertain how far the underground cavity reaches and whether more homes are at risk. Nearby houses have all been evacuated.
Early estimates put it at 20 ft (6 m) deep and 30 ft in diameter but officials have created a 100 ft-wide safety zone fearing the top of the sinkhole is growing.
Rescue teams in Florida have called off their efforts to recover the body of Jeffrey Bush, the man who was swallowed by a huge sinkhole under his home
Neighbor Soliris Gonzalez, 31, said: “I’ve had nightmares. In my dreams I keep checking for cracks in the house.”
Jeffrey Bush’s tearful brother, Jeremy, lay flowers and a stuffed toy near the house on Saturday.
Jeremy Bush was in the house on Thursday night and heard his brother scream as the concrete floor under the bedroom gave way.
He rushed into his brother’s room and jumped into the hole to try to save him but had to be rescued himself by police.
Jeremy Bush told reporters that someone had visited the four-bedroom house some weeks ago to check for sinkholes and other issues but found nothing wrong.
“And a couple of months later, my brother dies. In a sinkhole,” he said.
Florida state law requires home insurers to provide coverage against sinkholes.
Experts say much of Florida sits on a system of limestone caverns which are subject to water erosion, causing them to collapse.
[youtube yDtaHwcRYUE]
Jeffrey Bush from Florida has disappeared into a 20 ft-deep (6 m) sinkhole that swallowed up a bedroom in his house.
Jeffrey Bush, 36, is presumed dead after rescue crews failed to make contact with him.
Officials in the town near Tampa have postponed further rescue efforts until they determine how much of the ground under the house is compromised.
Sinkholes are common in certain parts of Florida, Hillsborough County’s fire chief said.
“Florida essentially sits on a system of caverns,” Chief Ron Rogers said, saying water erosion in the caverns causes them to collapse and sinkholes to form on the surface.
The sinkhole is currently 30 ft wide and 20 ft deep, but officials have established a 100 ft-wide safety zone, fearing the top of the sinkhole is growing.
“We don’t know how stable the house is,” Chief Ron Rogers said, adding that additional parts of the home began to collapse into the ground while rescuers were inside.
Jeffrey Bush’s brother Jeremy told rescue crews he heard a loud crash near midnight on Thursday, then his brother screaming for help.
He said he jumped into the hole but couldn’t see his brother.
“The floor was still giving in and the dirt was still going down, but I didn’t care. I wanted to save my brother,” he said, choking back tears outside a neighbor’s house.
“I could swear I heard him hollering my name to help him.”
Jeffrey Bush from Florida has disappeared into a 20 ft-deep sinkhole that swallowed up a bedroom in his house
One of the first responders to the house had to pull Jeremy Bush back from digging through the widening hole.
“All they could see was a part of a mattress sticking out of the hole,” Chief Ron Rogers said.
“Essentially the floor of that room had opened up.”
There has been no contact with Jeffrey Bush since then, although officials said they had inserted cameras and listening kit into the hole.
Neighbors on both sides of the home have been evacuated.
[youtube m8Hc8cE2TPY]
