A Michigan sinkhole prompted a state of emergency after opening in Fraser, Michigan, on the morning of Christmas Eve.
The massive sinkhole, which is said to be 250 feet long and 100 feet wide, threatened homes in Fraser, NBC News reported.
After it opened, officials were forced to pump sewage into a nearby river to prevent “sludge” from taking over residents’ basements.
Authorities think the hole formed because a sewer pipe burst 55 feet underground.
Fraser Mayor Joe Nichols declared a state of emergency on Saturday, calling for residents of more than 22 homes to evacuate.
No deaths or injuries have been reported. However, three homes experienced severe damage as a result of the sinkhole.
“One is halfway down [the sinkhole] and the other two are leaning that direction,” Bob Cannon, supervisor of neighboring Clinton Township, told NBC News.
Crews are “assessing the damage, making repairs and determining the cause” and expect the cleanup process could take as long as a month, The Associated Press reported.
Fraser has a population of roughly 14,500 people.
The Detroit Free Press reported that a 54-year-old burglary suspect drove through a roadblock on Wednesday at the site of the sinkhole, hitting a security guard in the process before ramming into a fire hydrant.
The suspect was arrested from there.
The guard was in a vehicle at the time, which was blocking the road.
According to a news release from Sterling Heights police, the guard was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Before the burglary suspect was arrested at the site of the sinkhole, police saw him “smash the front glass door of a business and go inside,” the Free Press reported.
Officers tried to arrest him then, but weren't able to after the suspect ignored their orders and jumped into an SUV before fleeing a parking lot.
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