Newport News, Va. – A building located in the 200 block of 23rd Street collapsed Saturday night just before 8 p.m.
According to Battalion Chief Stephen C. Pincus with the Newport News Fire Dept., a police officer nearby heard the building crash. Fire and rescue crews got there within about three minutes.
According to Pincus, the roof had collapsed onto the third floor, which then collapsed onto the second floor of the three-story building.
The front wall of the building fell into the parking area in front of it, leaving a massive hole.
Pincus says an on-scene commander deemed the scene too dangerous to send crews in, so a ladder truck with a bucket was set up so that crews could survey the building.
No one was reported injured.
The building is condemned and Pincus says it will most likely be torn down. An official cause of the collapse has not been determined yet, but the weight of snow and rain are believed to be at least partly to blame.
