By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Officials were trying to determine the extent of the damage after a building in a resort community near Walt Disney World partially collapsed into a sinkhole early Monday.
The building was stable by midafternoon, and two adjacent buildings were evacuated as a precaution, The Associated Press reported. Officials were on the scene at the Summer Bay Resort complex in Clermont, Fla., to inspect the structures and damage.
No injuries were reported, but dozens of guests were evacuated. Guests were startled around midnight as the walls bucked and windows popped, and they began calling 911.
Less than an hour passed between the first emergency call and the collapse into the sinkhole, which was estimated to be as big as 60 feet across and 15 feet deep, said Tommy Carpenter, the manager for the Lake County emergency management division.
Fire and rescue teams had gone door to door in the complex, getting guests out of their rooms and away from the area. Building managers ensured that all 36 guests in that part of the complex were accounted for.
“Sinkholes are, unfortunately, a reality of living in Florida,” Mr. Carpenter said.
Sinkholes are relatively common in Florida because the state is rich in karst — layers of soluble rock, mainly limestone, under the soil — that can be dissolved by water.