ROXBURY (WHDH) — A building under construction in Roxbury partially collapsed Monday night just before the worst of the storm.
Boston firefighters raced to the scene on Winthrop Street sometime before 8 p.m. The building was under renovation after being damaged in a fire several months ago.
“We were just making dinner and we heard the loud crash and it sounded kind of like thunder,” said Samantha Higgins, who lives nearby.
She said she immediately called 911. “The window that was still hanging when I was on the phone with 911, it was shaking in the wind so I was like, this is not safe even for cars coming by, and people were still walking past it to take pictures,” Higgins said.
Neighbors in the area were not evacuated after the collapse happened.
Boston Fire Deputy Chief Andre Stallworth said the building lost its support somehow and the second and third floors crashed down onto the first floor. He said no one was inside the building at the time of the collapse and no injuries were reported.
The building inspector said the powerful winds likely played a factor. “A little bit of a gust of wind can lift up the frame, because it was only temporarily braced,” the inspector said Tuesday morning.
The inspector said the city of Boston hired construction workers to bring in a crane and stabilize what remained of the building.
Crews spent Tuesday morning clearing out the area, including debris that fell onto cars in a neighboring driveway. Officials said that in time, it is likely the entire building will have to come down.
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