AURORA, Ill. (WLS) — Residents were ordered to evacuate a building in the west suburbs after the exterior started to crumble.
The incident happened Saturday evening in the 100 block East Galena Boulevard in Aurora, officials said.
It came without notice. One witness described how bricks suddenly began falling from above. He immediately called police , who eventually evacuated the building, leaving 11 families out of their homes and two businesses shut down.
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Galena was shut down in the area as officials responded to the scene. Caution tape and barricades blocked off streets near the building.
The facade was seen crumbling with bricks falling just as witness Lorenzo Johnson said he was just getting home to another building next door.
“Seeing something… I’m looking, whoa! Then I looked up and then I see a bunch of wires coming from the actual roof,” Johnson said. “Then I seen that, the first thing I was trying to do, I contacted the landlord to let him know. He was contacting everybody in the building, tenants to let them know if they’re inside, we need to get you guys out.”
The Aurora Fire Department deemed the building near Galena and Broadway unsound around 7 p.m. and ordered an evacuation of its residents.
Police said the 11 families who were moved out all live on the second floor, while the third floor is vacant.
The building’s manager told ABC7 she’s working to get the damages further evaluated in hopes to get her tenants back inside their homes.
A barber shop and record store are now closed for the time being.
“Which means they’re not able to make money, today, but at least they’re not hurt,” Johnson said. “No one’s hurt from it. That’s the good thing.”
Authorities said the Red Cross and Victim Services are assisting the people who were left displaced.
No further information was immediately available.
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