The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a large sinkhole that ruptured along Boyle Heights Street Friday morning, preventing a car from plunging into the open crater and avoiding a potential explosion.

The hole, located in the 500 block of South Mission Road between East Willow and Sixth streets, grew larger, forcing firefighters to use heavy equipment to prevent it from falling.
“As the hole expanded, a vehicle near the edge was at risk of falling in and colliding with gas lines below,” the fire department told NBC LA.
After looking into the cause, the city Department of Public Works Crews blamed a sewer line it said caved in, spilling up to 3,000 gallons.
Public Works employees laid sandbags to funnel the spilled sewage away from drains to avoid it reaching the Los Angeles River and eventually the Pacific Ocean.
