Floor of Barrington garage collapses over sinkhole

No one was hurt Sunday night when a sinkhole opened under the floor of Barrington home's garage, but village officials say the occurrence should lead neighboring homeowners to seek expert opinions on the state of their property.

Barrington firefighters responded to the home in the 300 block of Fox Hunt Trail at about 9:40 p.m., Fire Chief Jim Arie said. The village's Director of Development Services Greg Summers also was called in immediately.

Although there were no reports of injury, the collapse caused two parked cars to lean toward each other as the sinkhole opened under the garage floor's centerline, officials said.

Summers said the property backs up to Cuba Marsh and is affected by poor soil conditions. Foundation repair work conducted in 2009 seemed to have made every other part of the structure safe except the garage floor slab, he said.

A review of the repair plans on Monday raised the question of whether the basement floor could be similarly affected, even if not bearing the same weight as the garage floor, Summers said.

Although residents remained in the home overnight, Summers' recommendation Monday was for the house to be deemed not safe for occupancy until a professional structural engineer thoroughly inspects it — a process that could take as long as a week.

He also is not allowing the cars in the garage to be removed until it's determined that it can be safely done.

The residents were home at the time and heard the noise from the garage floor's collapse while watching television, officials said. They called 911 after discovering the sinkhole.

Although he's never seen anything like this before, Summers said it's possible other homes in the neighborhood are affected by the same soil conditions. However, none of the other homes have experienced the foundation settlement this one did in 2009, Summers said. This particular home is unique in the neighborhood for have a portion of the property lie below the base flood elevation, he added.