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A Dozen People Out of Their Homes Due to Building Collapse

SHENANDOAH — About a dozen people are being kept out of their homes for at least the weekend. Part of a building collapsed in Shenandoah Friday night, put...

SHENANDOAH -- About a dozen people are being kept out of their homes for at least the weekend.

Part of a building collapsed in Shenandoah Friday night, putting the houses surrounding it in danger.

The building is barely standing in the 200 block of North White Street in Shenadoah after a wall and roof caved in.

Alyssa Heintzelman lives around the corner and heard a loud crash Friday evening.

“We were inside painting and all of a sudden we heard a big crash, we thought it was just thunder because the skies were dark so we didn't think anything of it,” said Heintzelman. “So I ran out here and the whole thing was collapsed and I went into my daughter's room and you could see it collapsing in, I was like oh my god.”

Brothers Fabian and Adrian Flores also heard the wall and roof come down.

“We were watching TV and we heard a big noise, we thought it was thunder because of the clouds and stuff but he told me 'oh the building fell down' and I’m like 'what, oh',” said Fabian.

A Shenandoah Fire Inspector said fire crews secured the scene and says the borough engineer deemed it unsound.

PPL crews are expected on Monday to relocate power lines and utility poles that sit in front of the building so demolition work can start.

Until then, the people who live in the block around the building are being kept out of their homes.

“The ambulance and the police and they said you have to get out and I said can I grab some stuff and they're like no we'd prefer if you didn't go in and I said I have to go in a get some things, you know?” said Heintzelman.

Barbara Kilker's brother lives across the street from that building.

She is very upset thinking someone could have been killed.

“That could have been a catastrophe or somebody just walking front of the building,” said Kilker.

Folks said there are a lot of buildings in Shenandoah that are in dangerous conditions but no one seems to be doing anything to make them safe.

“The building right up the block, that's falling down too, there's a big hole in there, there's another building right there that looks it's going fall and it seems they're not doing anything until it's a crisis,” said Heintzelman.

The fire inspector said PPL crews are expected at that building on Monday. It's not clear exactly when demolition work will start in Schuylkill County.

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