Watch: 3rd house collapses into ocean at the Outer Banks in a week

RODANTHE, N.C. (WAVY) — A third house has now collapsed into the ocean in less than a week on the Outer Banks.

All three houses were near each other in the area of America Drive/G.A. Kohler Court in Rodanthe. The latest went down just after 1 p.m. Tuesday, per Chicamacomico Banks Fire & Rescue . They shared video of the collapse and the aftermath.

“It is sad for all parties involved, but most importantly our ocean being polluted,” the fire department said.

This is the fifth house to collapse into the ocean in the area this year, and the 10th in the past four years, per Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Meanwhile cleanup continues for the two other houses, which collapsed within hours of each other on Friday , and people are being asked to stay out of the water in the area. There are also other houses nearby in danger of collapse, the fire department says , including the one right next to the home that went down Tuesday.

So why not take them down before they fall? The owners of the homes say they’re not able to proactively demolish them because it might not be covered by insurance.

A contractor in charge of cleanup told WAVY’s Andy Fox that things need to change to protect the environment and save money on cleanup.

“Let people protect their property. Let it is more cost effective too. Let us tear it down before they are in peril in the ocean … that when we have to clean it up. Cleaning up is not cheap.”

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