Car crushed by falling bricks during Massachusetts apartment building collapse
The top two floors of an apartment building collapsed in Brookline, Massachusetts Sunday morning, sending bricks raining down onto a car below.
It happened at around 9:30 a.m. on Vernon Street.
Rym Baouendi, who lives on the street, said the building has been undergoing renovations for a long time. She was just feet away when the collapse happened.
"I was shoveling the sidewalk here and first I heard a noise. You know, for example when it's very windy and the trees will make a really loud noise, it was the same. And when I turned around, the whole thing collapsed on my neighbor's car," Baouendi said.
Brookline building collapse
Brookline Deputy Fire Chief Kyle McEachern said they evacuated neighboring buildings temporarily as a precaution. The town confirmed the building was vacant at the time of the collapse.
McEachern said the collapsed part of the building will need to be town down, as there's concern about strong winds picking up Sunday evening. He believes the winter weather on Sunday may have contributed to the collapse.
"Our main concern, if you look at the facade on the building, we're worried about that, whether the winds pick up as they're supposed to," McEachern said. "So it's unsafe to be in front of the building at this time."
Car crushed by bricks
No one was injured in the collapse but the car was crushed by the falling bricks.
"I was just screaming, saying, 'My neighbors! My neighbors!' I thought they were in the car. But luckily was no one was there and it seems like no one was hurt," Baouendi said.
The owner of the car told WBZ-TV they had just started warming up the car and were getting ready to head out for the day when the building collapsed. She said she is just grateful no one was hurt.
The Red Cross was on scene helping anyone who may need it. The Brookline Building Commissioner is also assessing the building to ensure it's stable and that the surrounding area is safe.
