Ground appears to be collapsing around apartment building in Normandy

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — First responders have ordered everyone out of an apartment building because a retention pond appears to be eating away the ground, right up to the edge of the building.

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The building at Oaks At Normandy Apartments has been declared unsafe to stay in. More than a dozen people are outside trying to figure out what to do.

One of the residents said a retention pond near the building overflowed.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson Eric Prosswimmer said 24 units have been affected and they’re still working to identify how many have been impacted.

“There is no structural damage to the building that we (JFRD) can see at this time, Prosswimmer said. “On the outside at one of the corners of the retention pond, has a sheer wall that is sloughed off. It’s exposed the foundation of the building and deemed it unsafe at this time for occupancy.”

The manager of the complex spoke with residents and said “he never thought this would happen.”

That manager also spoke with the fire marshal and the Red Cross. It was determined that no one is going back to the apartments tonight and they can’t provide residents with temporary housing. They are encouraging residents to stay with family and friends.

Prosswimmer said the cause of the ground collapse won’t be known for some time.

“Until we get underneath, we can’t say for sure what caused it,” he said. “It could be a lot of things -- it could be a pipe leak, it could be a storm, it could be many things. This is going to be an ongoing thing.”

The First Alert Weather Team confirmed that the area received around 6 inches of rain.

This is a developing story. Watch Action News Jax at 11 p.m. for more information.

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