LAFAYETTE - A mine shaft from the 1880s is the cause of a sinkhole in the 700 block of East Cleveland Street in Lafayette.
According to Debbie Wilmot, the Public Information Officer with the City of Lafayette, the sinkhole happened at around 5 a.m. Monday.
The sinkhole is 15-feet wide and 8-feet deep.
The old mine shaft was called the Simpson Mine and was in production from 1888 until 1926.
Because it was an old mine shaft, the State Division of Mines will have to extract water and debris from the sinkhole Tuesday for testing before it can be repaired.
For now, East Cleveland Street is blocked off to traffic.
A water and gas line were exposed, but not damaged. No one lost utilities. Xcel Energy is on scene as a precautionary measure.
