Nicolas Cage's driveway collapsed into a sinkhole, and it's now a state of emergency for 31 Malibu homes

Highlights:

• A sinkhole opened beneath the driveway of Nicolas Cage's Malibu mansion early Tuesday morning, triggering a gas leak and prompting the city to declare a local state of emergency.
• 31 homes have been evacuated, with seven already red-tagged as unsafe and 24 more expected to follow because vehicles can no longer safely reach them.
• Officials say the collapse was caused by coastal erosion linked to Hurricane Marie, which sent 10-foot waves crashing into the shoreline before weakening into a tropical storm.

Nicolas Cage's oceanfront driveway gave way just before 6am on Tuesday, opening a roughly 30-by-30-foot hole in front of his Malibu home. By the end of the day, it had turned into something far bigger than one actor's damaged property: a declared local emergency affecting dozens of homes along the same stretch of coastline.

What actually happened at the property?

The collapse caused an immediate gas leak, prompting a response from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and utility company SoCalGas. Video from the scene showed the supporting beams beneath Cage's house exposed through the hole, along with debris from a glass fence that had stood at the edge of the driveway. SoCalGas said the leak was brought under control within hours, but shut off gas service to an 85-foot stretch of the street as a precaution against further erosion. Representatives for Cage did not respond to requests for comment.

Why has this become a citywide emergency?

Because the damage didn't stop at one property. Malibu officials declared a local state of emergency after determining that a large section of Sea Level Drive, in the Lechuza Beach area, had collapsed too badly for fire engines and other large emergency vehicles to safely use. Seven homes have already been red-tagged, meaning entry is currently prohibited, and the city expects to red-tag 24 more simply because residents can no longer reach them safely by vehicle. In total, 31 homes have been evacuated while officials assess the risk.

What actually caused the ground to give way?

Coastal erosion, worsened by a hurricane that never made landfall as one. Hurricane Marie generated large swells and high tides off the Southern California coast before weakening into a tropical storm, and a coastal flood advisory remained in effect across the Los Angeles area into Tuesday evening. Officials say signs of the ground weakening beneath the road may have begun emerging as early as Monday, before Tuesday morning's full collapse.

What happens now?

Nobody's given a timeline yet. Malibu's Building Safety Division and SoCalGas are continuing to assess the site, with officials warning the sinkhole itself could still worsen if rain, high surf or further tidal activity continues. The city has not said when Sea Level Drive might reopen, or when residents of the affected homes might be allowed back in. For a stretch of coastline built almost entirely on multimillion-dollar properties, the ground underneath it, for now, is the part nobody can fully guarantee.