Deep hole in backyard causing problems for Riverside family

A family in Riverside is trying to figure out how to live with a deep hole that’s opened up in their backyard.

They found it when they were draining an above-ground pool.

The ground gave way beneath the water and revealed a bricked-in tunnel about 30 to 40 feet deep, a potential danger for their pets and kids.

“Every back door is locked. Like they’re not allowed to play back here anymore, that’s how dangerous it is. My boyfriend wanted to go climb inside of it, cause he didn’t know how deep it was. He was actually standing around the edge of it and a part of the edge broke off. But he had the ladder in his hand so when he dropped down the ladder fell in so the ladder’s still sitting in there,” said resident Tasha Jenkins.

“When you live in a 110-year-old house and you already have a ghost? No, not the best thing to think about,” said resident Alec Damani.

A utility company speculates the hole may be an old underground reservoir meant to collect rainwater.

The home was built in 1905.

City workers inspected the hole and said it’s not part of the sewage system, so the homeowners are on the hook for dealing with it.