A massive catchment pit outside the southern edge California high school swallowed an SUV all Wednesday afternoon and later a backhoe trying to pull the car out.

The sinkhole opened up just after noon, and the vehicle belonged to an English teacher at Santa Paula High School, who was not in the car at the time.

Students and faculty were dismissed Wednesday afternoon and classes were canceled Thursday “out of an abundance of caution,” district officials said.

Tasha Wisniewski, a teacher whose car fell into the 10-by-20-foot hole, said she “couldn’t believe it” when others told her what happened.

At this point, the exact cause of the failure is still under investigation, but geologists point to heavy rain as a possible culprit.

The sinkhole opened up just after noon and the vehicle belonged to a Santa Paulo High School English teacher who was not in the car at the time

Photos from the Ventura County Fire Department show the teacher’s car in a ditch next to the curb.

“It’s so amazing and surreal because it’s not what you think is happening in this area,” Wisniewski said. Center Zorka.

Vishnevskaya told a local newspaper that she was just glad no one was hurt, but she was still upset.

The English teacher said that the 2022 Toyota RAV4c was purchased in November.

Emergency crews quickly arrived on the scene and evacuated students and staff.

A A spokesman for the Santa Paula Unified School District said students were released around 1 p.m., and the district originally planned to reopen Thursday.

That plan was revised as local officials continued to assess the risk.

“Santa Paula Public Works continues to monitor the area and has called in an expert geologist to conduct an assessment of its stability,” officials said.

A decision on Friday’s classes has not yet been announced, said Julissa Vazquez with the district.

After the hole was discovered, some employees were told they could not collect their vehicle due to the proximity of the dangerous pit.

As officials were pulling the car out of the pit, the backhoe being used fell sideways into the pit.

Wisniewski’s car was eventually found Wednesday evening.

“It’s so weird and surreal because it’s not what you think is happening in this area,” teacher Tasha Wisniewski told the VC Star about her car being swallowed

This is a message from the Ventura County Fire Department alerting residents of the failure

This is Santa Paula High School in Ventura County, California

Fortunately, no students, staff, or pedestrians were injured in the incident and no one was in “imminent danger.”

Officials told local residents that their homes and buildings were safely away from the hole.

At the moment, it is unclear what exactly is the cause of the deepening, but geologists have reported KTLA this could have been caused by the recent rain and weather in the area or a collapsed storm drain.

City water and street workers are working with geologists to determine the cause and the condition of infrastructure in the area.