Brookline Businesses Shut Down, Tenants Displaced After Partial Building Collapse
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BROOKLINE (KDKA) -- Two businesses were shut down Friday and three tenants are out in the street following a partial building collapse in Brookline.
The building on Brookline Boulevard has been condemned and the city has ordered the building owners to shore up the unstable front wall before anyone can go back inside.
A huge overhang on the building came tumbling down to the sidewalk below late Friday morning.
"It was the biggest bang I've ever heard in my life," witness Kourtney Leech said.
Leech was watching through a window.
"The girls were like, 'Was that a dumpster? What was that?' I was like, no, something just definitely fell from the roof, and that's what happened," she said.
The building is owned by the Mazza family. They've operated a shoe repair business for nearly 60 years. They blame the collapse on recent heavy rain and wind.
Now, they're scrambling to make the place safe again.
"I have to find an engineer, that's the first thing. So he'll evaluate everything for me and he'll tell me what I should do," building owner Vince Mazza said.
Meanwhile, Amvar Gafurov, who owns Vinnie's Pizza next door, has no choice. His business is closed and he could lose thousands of dollars in business over the weekend.
"It's gonna hurt my business. If they're gonna close shop, I don't know what to do," he said.
Fortunately, no one was hurt. Meanwhile, the building owner says he's found a place for his tenants to stay while he tries to get the place safe again, and the Red Cross is providing additional assistance.