Detroit orders emergency demolition after Eastern Market building collapses, forces businesses to close
(CBS DETROIT) - The City of Detroit is ordering an emergency demolition day after a building in Eastern Market partially collapsed, injuring one person.
The building is home to a number of Detroit businesses, including Jabs Gym. The gym opened in 2015.
"We couldn't tell exactly what happened," Armond Harris said. "The windows were snatched out, and then from there, we heard cars being damaged downstairs from all the bricks."
Harris opened Jabs Gym in the Del Bene building on Russell and Winder streets. For eight years, his business has thrived on that corner.
"A lot of my staff was very emotional," Harris said. "This is a place where they come six, sometimes seven days a week. You know, this is our livelihood."
The City of Detroit is now ordering an emergency demolition of the partially collapsed building. In a statement, the director of the Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department said in part:
"The emergency demolition decision is based on the building being an imminent risk of further collapse in a location that poses a direct life safety threat to the public."
"This is devastating," Harris said. "We're trying to figure [it] out, no pun intended, [we're] trying to pick up the pieces, and trying to figure out what all this means."
While Harris works to determine the next steps, the city is still trying to determine what caused the collapse and when the building will be demolished.
