VIDEO: Massive Ventura sinkhole swallows cars

Massive sinkhole swallows cars in Ventura
A massive sinkhole at a Ventura construction site swallowed several cars.
VENTURA, Calif. - A construction site in Ventura transformed into a large sinkhole Thursday and swallowed several cars.
What we know:
In video of the incident shared with FOX 11, you can hear what sounds like construction shoring beams pop as the land begins to collapse.
The incident happened around 9.a.m. Thursday on Front Street, where crews are currently building an apartment complex.
"We were going to try and get the trucks out of the way, so they didn’t get damaged," said Tron Elliott. "It literally cracked and collapsed, while we were getting the trucks out."
SUGGESTED: Man pointed gun at family with infant during Ventura road rage incident, police say
Elliott owns nearby Elliott’s Performance. He says he noticed the ground was about to collapse, and started moving vehicles parked on the land in jeopardy. Elliott was able to save one vehicle, but his truck and a customer’s fell into the hole. Now, a portion of his business is no longer accessible.
"They red-tagged it now," said Elliott. "We’re just waiting to see what they’re going to do."
Spencer Noren from Ventura Forward arrived at the scene soon after the collapse happened.
"Humans were safe," said Noren. "The cars took a toll."
Noren posted videos of the incident to Ventura Forward’s Instagram page. As a result, crowds of people went to the site all Thursday to look.
What they're saying:
"The whole town is talking about it right now," Liv, a nearby resident. "We don’t know what happened, but it’s pretty sad."
SUGGESTED: Roof of North Hills building collapses after sheared fire hydrant floods store
FOX 11 contacted the construction company working on the apartment complex where this sink hole occurred, but so far hasn’t heard back.

Ventura sinkhole swallows cars
The sinkhole was the result of a temporary construction shoring failure at a nearby apartment complex, officials said.
A spokesperson from the City of Ventura provided FOX 11 a written statement about what happened, saying:
"The City of Ventura is actively responding to an incident involving the failure of temporary construction shoring at an active construction site for a new multi-family apartment complex located at 935 Front Street. Out of an abundance of caution, a nearby residential structure and portions of a commercial property have been red-tagged. The red-tagging is a precautionary measure that closes the buildings to occupants to ensure safety while a full assessment is conducted. Three businesses located in the vicinity remain open, as the structure they occupy has been deemed safe at this time. City staff are working closely with construction engineers to evaluate the situation and determine appropriate repairs and potential temporary measures to prevent further damage. There is no current threat to life safety, and the City is committed to keeping as many businesses open and operational as possible during this time."
The Source: Information in this story is from interviews with Tron Elliott and Spencer Noren, and a statement from the City of Ventura.