Flatbed truck drives into sinkhole in San Francisco, repairs underway

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - Firefighters this morning are reporting a sinkhole has opened up in the area of Seventh and Townsend streets in San Francisco.

A flatbed truck delivering cement drove into the sinkhole, but there are no reported injuries, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. The truck driver parked on the side of 7th street and was sitting in the truck when he felt it lean to the right. That's when the sinkhole opened up. The driver was able to escape through the cab window. 

The truck sank about five feet into the street and sidewalk. Around 9:30 a.m. a tow truck pulled the truck out of the hole. 

Repairs are now underway. San Francisco Public Works estimates the sinkhole to be 15 by 20 feet wide. The good news is the department does not believe any damage has been done to utilities. 

"There is an 8-inch main that is inactive underneath that we know of, maybe one more that's in active. Right now utilities are not affected. People are listening to see if they're affecting live utilities and they are not, everything is running. So it's just traffic right now," said Betsy Rhodes, a spokeswoman for San Francisco Public Works. 

The incident was first reported around 5:18 a.m.  Two northbound lanes of traffic are now open on Seventh Street between Townsend and Brannan streets. Southbound is expected to reopen by 6 p.m. 

"Sometimes the cause is really obvious," said Rhodes. "You've got spouting water, and sometimes it's a little more mysterious like this, but either way we're here on site to fix it," said Rhodes.