SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Demolition of a three-story apartment building and its surrounding homes began Thursday morning on the North Side of Syracuse.
On Wednesday morning, the Syracuse Fire Department responded to reports of a partially collapsed building at 413 Pond Street. After arriving to the scene, fire officials found portions of the building had fallen onto the house next door at 409 Pond Street.
Residents of the adjacent buildings were immediately evacuated, and officials set up a collapse zone to establish a safe perimeter and protect the public from potential debris.
Fire officials determined that the buildings needed to be torn down due to safety concerns. Workers for Ritter & Paratore Contracting were at the site early Thursday morning to begin the demolition process.
Ritter & Paratore Superintendent Steve Brooks says that although they have to tear the buildings down, things still could have been much worse.
“Well, the whole building could have collapsed,” Brooks said. “Fortunately, the rest of the building is in reasonable condition, and we should be able to get it down without any problems.”
As a result of the destruction, five people have been displaced. One resident has already started a GoFundMe campaign for her and her son.
Brooks says he doesn’t expect the project to last very long.
“It’ll take approximately a week to get it down and then another week or week and a half to load it all out,” Brooks said.
The city will determine when the residents can return to their homes once the project is complete.
