BROOKVILLE — A 911 call reveals new details about a partial building collapse that happened on Monday night.
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As previously reported, the collapse happened at 28 Market Street in Brookville around 10:40 p.m.
The city had to take down what remained during an emergency demolition.
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Brookville crews removed the temporary tape and barriers that were blocking the area on Wednesday morning and secured the site with fencing.
“Yeah, we wanted to see it, and we like to just drive around here anyhow,” Sue Noreikas, of Huber Heights, said.
Days after the collapse, the pile of rubble is still drawing attention.
“They were having a senior lunch and learn about the history of Brookville, and they mentioned that the building had fallen down. So, we decided we’d come and see it,” Ginnie Boord, of Englewood, said.
“I mean did it just like fall or was there a boom?” Boord added.
News Center 7 obtained the 911 call that brought first responders to the collapse.
The caller said they thought they heard an explosion.
“The building just collapsed,” the caller told dispatchers Monday night.
“You said a building collapsed?” the dispatcher asked.
“Yeah, it like exploded,” the caller said. “The entire front of the building is gone, like there’s glass, bricks.”
Brookville’s Fire Chief, Ron Fletcher, said there was no evidence of an explosion or fire.
He explained what people heard at that moment.
“There were literally thousands of pounds of brick from the one side of the building that fell onto the sidewalk and into the street. And so that’s truly what they were feeling and what that noise was from,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher added that the building had been vacant for years. It didn’t have any gas, electric, or water service when part of it caved on Monday.
The building was having planned renovation work done at the time. These jobs didn’t require permits.
The fire department’s assessment found several areas of instability in the building from weather exposure over time, Fletcher said.
As previously reported, it’s the building owner’s job to get the rubble cleaned up.
City officials told News Center 7 that they’ve talked to him and are sending a notice. It will give him seven days to clean it up, or the city will do the work and send him the bill.
The city manager said he hopes it doesn’t come to that.
News Center 7’s John Bedell has reached out to the owner for comment, but hasn’t heard back.
We will continue to follow this story.
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