Neighbors nervous over sinkhole under Seffner home - WFLA-TV Newschannel 8

The sinkhole that opened up in a Seffner neighborhood is unnerving residents wondering about the safety of their own homes nearby.

"It's just really shocking," said Kevin Charles, who lives two houses down from the blue house at 240 Faithway Drive, where the chasm opened up late Thursday night.

Charles said he heard what happened when he got home to find his neighborhood filled with emergency vehicles. His neighbor was sucked into the sinkhole in his house, and was still unaccounted for Friday night.

"It kind of worries me because … it could have been any one of these houses along this side over here," Charles said.

Homes on either side of the house where the sinkhole occurred were evacuated.

"Sheriff's deputies just knocked on our door," said Jeff Allen, who lives next door to the home. "They just said we had to evacuate, there was a sinkhole."

Hillsborough Fire Rescue said Friday that areas beyond yellow tape strung around the three houses were believed to be safe, but they were still waiting for tests to determine more about the stability of the ground underneath.

Deputies moved media and bystanders back farther from the home Thursday afternoon, expanding the safety zone. Workers testing the ground inside that zone wore safety harnesses with ropes held by firefighters so they could be pulled back in an emergency.

Residents in the area said they weren't aware of any sinkhole issues in the neighborhood in the past.

"I think the issue now is everyone in the area is going to sit back and wonder whether should get sinkhole insurance," said neighbor Steve Hamlyn. "Because we really didn't see a need for it until now."