A large sinkhole swallowed a vehicle at a Ventura County high school on Wednesday, prompting evacuations and closures.
Photos from the scene show the vehicle overturned inside a 10-foot-by-20-foot sinkhole in front of the Santa Paula High School campus.
The large hole was discovered on the west side of 6th Street, north of Pleasant Street, following heavy rains that battered Southern California overnight.
The vehicle belonged to an English teacher and was unoccupied during the incident, said Ventura County Fire officials.
Emergency crews arrived on campus and began evacuating the school.
All classes have been canceled on Thursday out of “an abundance of caution,” school officials said.
Some staff members were unable to retrieve their vehicles due to the sinkhole’s dangerous proximity.
Crews spent hours working to extricate the fallen vehicle while stabilizing the street. An excavator being used also fell victim to the sinkhole late Wednesday night, toppling sideways into the trench.
“It just caught my eye,” said Ray Daniel Alarcon, a Santa Paula resident and eyewitness. “I’m wondering how there was loose gravel and dirt that created a hole and seeing that car, the impact. It just flipped over.”
Officials said no students or staff were injured or placed in “imminent danger,” and nearby homes and buildings were deemed safely out of the sinkhole’s proximity.
The cause is under investigation, but geologists tell KTLA it could’ve been caused by heavy rains or a collapsed storm drain.
“Santa Paula Public Works is continuing to monitor the area and has called in an expert geologist to conduct an assessment about its stability,” officials said. “At this time, 6th St. is closed between Pleasant Ave. and Virginia Terrace.”
More information will be announced on Thursday regarding plans to resume classes following updates from Santa Paula Public Works and the expert geologist.
“Student and staff safety is our number one priority,” school officials said.
