Dunedin , Florida ( CNN ) -- Michael Dupre , his wife and his daughter made it out of their Dunedin , Florida , house after noticing its screened-in room plunging into a pit in the ground . His wedding ring did not . As the family stood outside early Thursday , a firefighter buckled herself up , smashed a window , then snatched the ring from a desk in Dupre 's office . `` And a few minutes later , the whole thing collapsed back down there , '' he said . Sinkholes like this one in Dunedin , a city of about 35,000 people just north of Clearwater , are hardly rarities in Florida . Hundreds pop up in the Sunshine State each year , like the one in August that gobbled a condo building in the town of Clermont . Dupre not only knew of the dangers , but he also was doing something about them . After spotting `` a few little hairline cracks , '' he contacted his insurance company and , after a lot of back-and-forth about what to do , had workers come to his western Florida house over the last few days to start stabilizing the ground . Sinkholes : Common , costly and sometimes deadly . `` We were actually planning ... , when the whole repair was done , to put a pool in the backyard , '' he said , noting he 'd already gotten estimates . `` That ( hope ) is over . `` We thought it was going to get fixed . And unfortunately , it 's not . '' All those plans changed after his daughter came into his bedroom before dawn Thursday , saying , `` Daddy , somebody is trying to get our house ! '' Dupre said he first dismissed the thought , thinking it was the wind , but then he heard a loud crack . `` I said , 'There 's something wrong . ' '' After seeing what had happened to their screened-in room , Dupre told the rest of his family to grab some clothes and get out of the house , then called 911 . They have n't been back inside , with Dupre saying he expects only firefighters -- like the one who rescued his wedding ring -- will go in , if it 's even safe enough for them . As of Thursday afternoon , the sinkhole that enveloped Dupre 's home and badly damaged another was 70 to 75 feet wide , 50 feet deep and growing , according to Dunedin Fire Chief Jeff Parks . Seven homes in total were evacuated . But the hole should n't be like that for long . `` The plan now ( is ) to fill the hole tomorrow , '' Parks said , `` before some rain is expected this weekend ( that may ) make it a lot worse . '' The Dupres wo n't be able to go back into their home at that point , however . They will be staying at a Holiday Inn Express that graciously put them up for two nights , then asking friends to let them stay over until they figure out what to do next . `` It 's all new for us , '' Dupre said . `` ... We 're trying to do our best . '' Opinion : Florida , fix sinkhole policy . CNN 's Greg Botelho and AnneClarie Stapleton contributed to this report .
A sinkhole pops up in the early morning hours in Dunedin , Florida . A resident says he noticed his screened-in porch had fallen into the hole . The sinkhole was at least 70 feet wide , 50 feet deep and growing . Score: 7