NEWPORT TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY — It’s been days since a sinkhole opened up as a result of a mine subsidence at an apartment complex in the Glen Lyon section of Newport Township.
Crews from the Department of Environmental Protection have been working to fill the nearly 100ft deep hole.
In the meantime, some residents are still unable to move back into their homes.
The dep says they will update when they send a news release on how long the project will take.
The work continues.
Crews from the dep have been working to fill in a massive sinkhole in the Glen Lyon section of Newport Township since Monday.
“This is the progress so far… just that they’ve been backfilling it. They put a temporary water main in to reactivate a fire hydrant that was down in the back of the facility,” said Jimmy Hoffman the deputy fire chief from Newport Township.
Officials say the work is coming along, however, apartment numbers 71 through 74 remain condemned.
They are located right in front of the hole.
Management says for tenants in those four apartments it’s unclear when they will be let back into their homes.
“But do I feel comfortable wanting to stay here? No, I don’t. Cause I don’t have a backyard,” added Paul Distler a resident.
28/22 News first spoke with Distler on Monday just one day after he had been uprooted from his home.
“I lost things that I had in my backyard. tables, chairs, and grills,” continued Distler.
Now he says he and his neighbors are unsure about moving back into their homes, fearing that history might repeat itself once again.
“This is all mine area. This happened in 82′. Here we are 2023 it happened again so who’s to say it’s not gonna happen again after this?” explained Distler.
Officials say the ground opened up while these apartments were being constructed in 1982.
will add something else here from the dep once they send that news release!
