3-Story Rowhome In South Philadelphia Collapses
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Demolition crews are expected to come out later this morning to bring down part of a three-story row home that collapsed in South Philadelphia.
Neighbors heading off to work paused to look at the massive pile of rubble in the daylight, everyone breathing a sigh of relief when they heard no one was hurt.
Neighbor Hanna Vanderlan lives across the street and describes the collapse as a, "Very clear sound of something obviously falling apart. (There was a) huge crumbling noise. I came outside and there was smoke up in the air and a huge amount of dust."
This happened around 11 p.m. at the corner of 15th and Clymer, Clymer is a small alley about a block and a half down from South Street.
It's fortunate that no one was hurt, but a car parked in the alleyway shows the force and the power of the collapse. The roof of the sedan was smashed in and the windows shattered.
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The owner of the row home rents rooms to several tenants, but all the residents were able to get out safely.
This wasn't the only building collapse in town Tuesday. A large stone wall of the Central Methodist Church at Griscom and Orthodox Streets in Frankford also came crashing down. That church dates back to 1875 and officials say that collapse was likely caused by years of bad weather; the recent heavy rains may have been the catalyst.
But back here at 15th and Clymer, there is no word yet on the cause of this collapse, but the building is expected to be partially demolished later Wednesday.
Reported by Al Novack and Jim Melwert, KYW Newsradio 1060
