Man rescued from sinkhole in Clovis, part of roadway reopened while City investigates

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Repair crews with the City of Clovis spent the day fixing a sinkhole big enough to swallow a car after Public Works says a water main broke under a section of Clovis Avenue between Herndon and Alluvial overnight.

The sun hadn't even come up yet when officers were called to the scene to rescue a driver after his white sedan became submerged.

"Just a little bit shocking to enter a sinkhole but they were able to get him out and everybody is ok," said Scott Redelfs, Clovis Public Utilities Director.

Traffic in both directions was shutdown for hours.

One lane of traffic is now back open here at Clovis and Chennault, but drivers should try to avoid the area if possible as city workers continue to investigate the cause of the sinkhole.

The massive hole is estimated to be more than 10 feet deep but city officials still aren't sure what caused the water main to break.

"We've got to de-water it, dig it up, find the break, find what happened and fix it and come back in and fill it up with material and get the roadway usable as quick as we can," Redelfs said.

The incident happened less than a mile from another sinkhole that took place a little more than a year ago at Clovis and Herndon.

The intersection was shutdown for days and cost the City tens of thousands of dollars.

"That one had a lot of asphalt paving and asphalt paving tends to be the most expensive part of work. This hole is a lot smaller and I bet this will be a quarter of that cost," said Paul Amendariz, Assistant Public Works Director.

Officials say they do not believe the recent rain played a role in the break.