BUXTON — An unoccupied home collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean in Buxton, North Carolina, on Tuesday evening, June 2, 2026. This was the 20th home to collapse in Buxton since September 2025 and the fifth such collapse in the community in 2026.
The National Park Service temporarily closed beach access from the north end of Buxton through the lifeguarded beach due to public safety concerns. "Due to public safety concerns, all beach access from the north end of Buxton through the lifeguarded beach is temporarily closed until park rangers can assess the area," the agency stated.
A total of 32 homes have collapsed into the ocean along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore since 2020. Many of these homes were originally built in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s behind yards of beach and sand dunes, but are now in the ocean surf. Certain homes in the villages of Buxton and Rodanthe currently sit in an intertidal zone—an area exposed during low tide but partially covered by water during high tide.
The recent collapse followed the intentional demolition of a beachfront home on the Seashore on Monday to prevent it from falling into the ocean. Earlier in 2026, a series of home collapses occurred on February 1 and 2 after a powerful nor'easter brought blizzard-like conditions and strong waves to the Carolinas.
Between September and late October 2025, 16 beach homes collapsed in Buxton and Rodanthe, and seven additional homes fell later that year. Flooding was visible along Highway 12 near the shoreline in Buxton on June 2, 2026, the same day the latest home collapsed.
Photographer Jenni Koontz of Epic Shutter Photography captured drone footage of the compromised beachfront house shortly before it collapsed around 10:30 p.m. on June 2, 2026. The National Weather Service reported that a coastal low brought gusty northerly winds, rough surf, thunderstorms, and dangerous beach conditions to Buxton that day. The area was under a high rip current risk warning, with forecasters expecting gusty winds of 30 to 40 mph, high surf, and rip currents through the end of the week.