Neighbors Evacuated After Part Of Vacant South End Brownstone Collapses
BOSTON (CBS) – Five people were evacuated from their homes in the South End Wednesday night after part of a vacant brownstone collapsed.
The rear fire escape and a section of the back of the Upton Street building fell onto the trees and into in Public Alley 701 just after 10:30 p.m.
No one was hurt, but five people living in nearby buildings were forced to leave their apartments as a precaution.
"It has been vacant for years. That water gets in there and freezes and it compromises the structure of the building over time," Boston Fire Chief Neal Mullane told reporters.
The collapse was captured on video by a nearby surveillance camera.
The moment part of a brownstone collapsed in the South End captured on a neighbor's home surveillance camera #Boston @wbz ???? by David Beshara pic.twitter.com/2jvDzmVyUQ
— Nick Giovanni (@NickGNews) January 2, 2020
City inspectors will take a closer look at the building Thursday morning.