At a Glance

The sinkhole was estimated to be 80 feet wide and 20 feet long. One large tree toppled onto one of the condominiums.

A large sinkhole opened up Wednesday between two Southern California condominium complexes, toppling trees and raising fears among residents that their homes could be swallowed up.

The estimated 80-foot-wide, 20-foot-long hole opened up around 10:45 p.m. local time Wednesday in the Los Angeles suburb of La Habra, the Associated Press reported.

There were no injuries reported, but one large tree fell onto one of the condominiums.

Three residences were placed under voluntary evacuation orders.

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In a statement, La Habra police said the "appears to be an underground flood-control channel that collapsed, causing the green belt above to fall into the flood-control channel," KABC reported.

The ground collapsed in a green space between the residences toppling trees.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Residents said the opening of the sinkhole sounded eerily like an earthquake.

"That's what I thought it was, an earthquake," La Habra resident Reina Menchaca told KABC.

Residents have been told to avoid a taped-off courtyard until it is deemed safe.