Drilling a well outside a Citrus County home wasn’t supposed to form huge sinkhole swallowing the drilling rig, but that’s exactly what happened Thursday.
“Things were going pretty good then the ground just gave away,” said neighbor Judd Garvin.
Judd Garvin who lives near the home saw it happen right before his eyes yesterday. On Friday, he and a group of neighbors get to watch a 250-ton crane pull the now bent drill rig out of the 30-feet-deep hole.
But crews say it won’t be an easy hook.
“The nature of the lift is rather challenging -- the drill rig itself is around 56,000 pounds,” said VP of Citrus Well Drilling Inc., Todd Townsend.
Crews fear the crane will also sink due to the weight which is why crews are laying blocks on the ground as padding underneath it.
Citrus Well Drilling says a hole of that size is a rare occurrence.
“We’ve been drilling for 40 years, this is the second one we’ve experienced with this size and magnitude,” said Townsend.
Crews plan to be on scene for several more hours working on making sure they pull the rig out safely.