Sinkhole on 7th b/w Brannon and Townsend. #ABC7now pic.twitter.com/OirIZmxgVs
— Jenny Cain (@jennymcain) May 5, 2017
Morning rush hour traffic near the SoMa intersection of Seventh and Townsend Streets was more hellish than usual Friday, when a sinkhole opened its gaping maw and attempted to digest a construction truck.
.@SFPD on scene and say public is not at risk. @CBSSF pic.twitter.com/eYpwNK9Kzw
— Jackie Ward (@jackie_ward) May 5, 2017
According to a tweet from the San Francisco Fire Department, the sinkhole was reported at 6:20 this morning.
KRON 4 reports that driver Alejandro Curiel was inside the construction vehicle "when the sinkhole developed underneath him and swallowed his truck."
Alejandro curiel was inside construction truck when sinkhole developed underneath him. San Francisco @kron4news pic.twitter.com/EDkBSBy7cG
— Will Tran (@KRON4WTran) May 5, 2017
As you might have guessed from the photo, Curiel escaped unscathed. No one else has been injured, the SFFD says, and the hole is not considered a "public safety concern."
The Chron reports that the Curiel's truck was "loaded with bags of cement and a trailer attached to the rig carried two mini bulldozers." He had "just pulled up and was about to park when the pavement gave out and the truck shifted on its side, causing the sidewalk to break and give give way."
The sinkhole is around 5 feet by 14 feet, the SFFD reports, saying that San Francisco's Department of Public Works was on the scene.
#BREAKING a large truck fell into a sinkhole within the area of 7th st & Townsend in #SF @jackie_ward on scene pic.twitter.com/p8LqaqCpbc
— KPIX 5 (@CBSSF) May 5, 2017
"A tow truck, maybe two, will be needed to pull the truck out of the hole," KRON 4 reports. It's unclear when the area is expected to reopen, but officials who spoke to the Chron gave a ballpark estimate, saying it's "expected to take about 2 hours to remove the truck from the sinkhole."
Previously: Yet Another Sinkhole Hits An SF Street, Takes Out Bike Lane