LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — People who live on Gould Street in Plymouth Borough say this property has sat empty for nearly a decade. As time passed, the house quickly deteriorated.
"It just got worse. You could see the wood warping and everything," said Joe Armstrong.
Dion Lingenfelter has only lived here for about eight months. He says it's the talk among neighbors that one day, the house would collapse. That day finally came.
"I heard a big bang and didn't know what it was. It sounded like a car crash. I came outside, looked around and no one was there, I didn't see anything at all. My neighbor, around 9 a.m., said she called the fire department because the car was leaning towards the road, and she was afraid it was going to hit her car," explained Dion Lingenfelter.
Not long after that call, Plymouth Borough Emergency Management called for an emergency demolition.
Director Earl Cunningham says he saw the roof and back wall collapse when he got there. An excavator was brought in, and crews got to work tearing it down.
"With it being so close to a neighboring house with people living in it could have been very dangerous," said Earl Cunningham, Director of Plymouth Borough EMA.
Neighbors came out to watch as crews tore it down piece by piece.
"I'm actually glad it went down. 1% better at a time you have to make the neighborhood," said Armstrong.
Neighbors say this house and the one directly across the street have been eyesores for years.
This property across the street, however, is out of the borough's hands since it's technically located in Larksville.
"I think they need to do the one in Larksville next. That thing is tilted over a little bit. There are kids that play here on their bikes, and if you look at it, it looks like it is going to fall over," said Armstrong.
"So good riddance, they should make it a 2 for 1 special personally," said Lingenfelter.
Plymouth officials say they will now clean up the debris left from demolition.