DAYTON — A structural engineer will decide if streets in downtown Dayton can reopen after a building facade hundreds of feet in the air gave way over the weekend.
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As News Center 7 previously reported, the facade of the tower at 34 N. Main Steet, next to the Stratacache Tower, began to break off and fall on Saturday.
>> PHOTOS: Drone images of partial building collapse at downtown Dayton high-rise
Firefighters and police blocked off the block of Main Street between E. Second and E. Third Streets on Saturday afternoon and those barricades remain in place.
The closed streets caused confusion on Monday. As shown on News Center 7 at 5:00, our cameras caught several drivers cutting right through road-closed barricades, creating even more danger.
When the pieces came crashing down on Saturday, they broke some windows at the Stratacache Tower and caused an alarm to go off, according to Dayton Fire Chief Mike Rice.
Rice said that no one was sure at first where the problem began. Fire crews tracked the source of the collapse to the side of the building that faces the back of the Stratacache Tower.
“We didn’t want any bricks falling into the street while there’s traffic out there,” Rice said.
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Mike McKiernan actually heard the first part of the facade give way on Saturday from his high-rise apartment.
“The debris fell down, the dust came up, and it was pretty scary at first,” McKiernan said.
He told News Center 7 that this happened in the middle of heavy winds and rain on Saturday.
The fire department also said bricks from the building threatened a parking garage as well.
The falling debris wasn’t limited to just Saturday. Another 10-foot by 10-foot section fell overnight into Sunday. Some retaining walls are still leaning out so they’re calling in a structural engineer.
“To ensure that whatever we do, there’s no danger of any bricks falling into the street or sidewalks,” Rice said.
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