Sinkhole swallows Malibu driveway outside Nicolas Cage’s home, gas leak secured

Sinkhole opens outside Malibu house reportedly owned by Nicolas Cage

A large sinkhole measuring about 30ft by 30ft opened outside a Malibu home reportedly purchased by actor Nicolas Cage, collapsing much of the driveway and prompting an emergency response after a gas leak was detected, officials and local media said.

Residents said an 8ft cavity was first noticed on Monday and that further ground failure occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, enlarging the hole to roughly 30ft across and leaving broken asphalt, concrete and construction debris inside the crater.

Emergency teams responded when the structural failure caused a gas leak; SoCalGas later confirmed the leak had been secured. Traffic cones were placed around the site while waves from the nearby shoreline were reported to be lapping into the hole and flowing back beneath the home’s stanchions.

Local authorities linked the damage to heavy rain and high waves associated with Tropical Storm Marie, which produced coastal flooding warnings for the Los Angeles area. Malibu city officials declared at least five homes on the same street unsafe for entry and warned that emergency access is severely constrained because a large portion of the road had collapsed.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The initial 8ft sinkhole progressed to a roughly 30ft crater after additional ground gave way early Tuesday, compromising the driveway and surrounding roadway. Emergency services addressed a resulting gas leak that was later secured by SoCalGas. Coastal flooding warnings tied to Tropical Storm Marie and pounding waves were reported as contributing factors, and city officials have marked multiple nearby homes as unsafe for entry due to the road collapse.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• Sinkhole size estimated at about 30ft by 30ft outside the Malibu house reportedly owned by Nicolas Cage
• Initial cavity of about 8ft observed Monday; major collapse occurred early Tuesday
• Gas leak resulted from the structural failure and was later secured by SoCalGas
• Coastal flooding warnings from Tropical Storm Marie and high waves were cited as related conditions
• At least five homes on the street declared unsafe and emergency access is severely constrained