State of Emergency Declared After Sinkhole Opens in Small Town

— -- A massive sinkhole in a residential neighborhood north of Detroit forced families to make emergency evacuations over the Christmas weekend.

Residents of more than a dozen homes in Fraser, Michigan, evacuated after the sinkhole was discovered Saturday under one home, according to city officials.

Fraser resident Sue Albu said she woke up Christmas Eve to the sound of splintering brick around her home.

"Loud noises, cracking throughout the evening," Albu told local ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV of the sound. "They got progressively greater."

Alba's neighbor, Derek Loewen, and his father ran over to help, grabbing whatever they could of Alba's belongings to take out of the house.

"We kept running in and out as much as we could until police officers told us that we could no longer go in because it was too dangerous," Loewen told reporters.

Authorities believe the sinkhole may have been caused by a collapsed sewer line 45 feet underground.

It isn't the first time Fraser residents have seen the ground open up around them.

A huge 160-foot sinkhole opened on the same street back in 2004, causing the street to be closed for 10 months.

Engineers are now working to find a way to safely get residents back into their homes, but say it could take as long as two weeks.

Fraser Mayor Joe Nichols told residents at a public meeting Monday to exercise caution where the repair effort is underway.

"Let these people get their jobs done," Nichols said. "It's a devastating situation. We don't want it to become a tragedy."