Overview

• The two-story stilt house at 46227 Tower Circle Road in Buxton fell into the surf Tuesday afternoon and was unoccupied.
• The National Park Service counts this as the 12th private home lost on Seashore beaches since 2020 and the first collapse in 2025.
• Seashore staff are cleaning beaches south of the site, and the homeowner has hired a contractor to remove the remaining structure and debris.
• Visitors are urged to avoid the area and stay out of the water, and an existing safety closure near Buxton may be expanded due to drifting debris.
• Most previous collapses occurred in Rodanthe, and officials attribute the failures to chronic erosion, daily tides and recent storm surf linked to Hurricane Erin.