The city of Malibu, Calif., ordered the evacuation of more than 30 properties after a 30-foot-deep sinkhole opened on Tuesday under the driveway of a beachfront home, causing a gas leak and sparking public safety concerns.
The City of Malibu said in a statement that the sinkhole was reported early Tuesday morning but was believed to have begun developing a day earlier. It said the expanding hole — which was 30 by 60 feet wide as of Tuesday evening — was restricting access for residents and emergency services.
Though the National Hurricane Center said on Tuesday that Post-tropical Cyclone Marie would weaken and dissipate in the next two days as it moved into the Pacific Ocean, the City of Malibu warned that the storm would continue to bring high tides and rain to the area, likely worsening conditions at the sinkhole site.
The house where the sinkhole formed was bought by the actor Nicolas Cage in 2024 for $10.5 million, The New York Times reported at the time. The four-level, nearly 4,000-square-foot house has beach access, according to property records.
A representative for Mr. Cage did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear as of 11 p.m. local time who currently owned the home, whether it was occupied when the sinkhole formed or how many residents in the area were evacuated.
Authorities closed a private road leading to the house on Tuesday morning and prohibited residents from entering five nearby homes. Gas to the area was shut off while the Southern California Gas Company worked on the gas leak, the city said.
By evening, the growing sinkhole forced the authorities to declare a local emergency and expand the evacuation order to 31 properties. The city said emergency response vehicles such as fire engines were unable to enter the road, which had narrowed because of the sinkhole. It added that the American Red Cross had opened a temporary shelter for the affected properties at Malibu High School.
The National Weather Service had issued a coastal flood advisory for Southern California over the Labor Day weekend, and local authorities said they were monitoring and responding to coastal erosion issues in the area.
Large waves pummeled the Southern California coast on Tuesday after Marie whipped up waters in the Pacific Ocean. In Long Beach, southeast of Malibu, officials ordered residents of over a dozen homes to evacuate as waves crashed over a sea wall.
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