Sinkhole home in midst of demolition; other homes threatened, officials say

The Seffner home where a sinkhole swallowed a resident
The Seffner home where a sinkhole swallowed a resident

Demolition of the Seffner home where a sinkhole swallowed a man last Thursday should proceed today, the Associated Press reported.

Crews yesterday razed about half of the home, the AP said. The owners, the family of the sinkhole’s victim, Jeff Bush, 37, have lived in the home since the 1970s. The dimensions of the sinkhole are not known, officials told the AP, and other homes in the area may be affected.

The home remains of the home were moved towards the street, and the family was able to retrieve some belongings from inside after the first wall was removed yesterday.

Jeremy Bush, Jeff’s brother, jumped into the sinkhole in an attempt to save his sibling, but had to be rescued by a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputy, as reported. Jeff is presumed dead and his body cannot be retrieved.

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“I’ve never seen anything move so fast and do so much destruction,” a Hillsborough deputy, Douglas Duvall, told the AP.

Seffner lies about 15 miles east of Tampa. [Associated Press] –Guelda Voien