A sinkhole at a California home linked to actor Nicolas Cage has prompted evacuations, reports say.
The gigantic sinkhole, which formed in the driveway of the Malibu, California, home, is estimated to be up to 30 feet deep, 30 feet wide and 60 feet long, according to a proclamation of a local emergency issued by the City of Malibu. Cage is reportedly the owner of the mansion on California's south coast, according to The Los Angeles Times and NBC News, which reports that the home is unoccupied and that there was a gas leak due to the sinkhole.
The entire portion of the driveway adjacent to the garage has collapsed, as seen in aerial photos of the sinkhole. It is unclear if there is damage to the home itself.
USA TODAY has reached out to Cage's rep,
the City of Malibu and Los Angeles County Fire Department for comment.
According to the city's proclamation, the hole began developing on Monday, Sept. 7, and emerged on Sept. 8. Thirty-one homes have been "red-tagged," or restricted for unsafe conditions, due to the hazard caused by the sinkhole and the loss of safe car access. Gas service to the area has been shut off, and water service may be discontinued "as conditions warrant," the statement added.
Emergency services are "severely constrained and may be impassable due to the large portion of the road that has collapsed" while the roadway that remains intact is too narrow, "creating a substantial risk to public safety and emergency response capabilities," the proclamation added.
The city said the sinkhole may worsen given increased rainfall and high surf following Hurricane Marie, the Category 2 storm that battered Southern California over the Labor Day weekend. It added that the "super" El Niño unfolding in the Pacific Ocean – which is expected to bring heavy rain, frequent storms and severe weather this fall and winter – will exacerbate conditions.
The proclamation does not outline a repair timeline for the sinkhole or say when access to the affected homes would be restored.
"Conditions are continuing to be evaluated, and the full extent of the impacts is not yet known," the statement read.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Huge sinkhole opens at Malibu home linked to Nicolas Cage – Reports
