Building facade collapse in Allston leaves two injured, one critically

Building facade collapse in Allston leaves two injured, one critically Visit The Boston Globe Scroll t...

Building facade collapse in Allston leaves two injured, one critically

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Two people were transported to local hospitals, including one with critical injuries, after the top of the facade on an Allston restaurant collapsed onto the sidewalk shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday, according to a Boston Fire Department spokesman.

The collapse occurred at the one-story building at 75-85 Harvard Ave., which houses the Common Ground bar and restaurant, and was reported at 2:56 p.m., according to firefighter Marc Sanders, a spokesman for the fire department.

The facade came down without warning, said Bob O’Guin, the owner of Common Ground., who was working in his office in the rear of the restaurant.

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“It was almost like an earthquake,” O’Guin said in a brief phone interview. “It’s just crazy.”

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He said one of the victims was a woman who was struck by falling debris. People from a nearby hair salon ran out and freed her, and the woman was taken away in an ambulance, he said.

Crews evacuated 10 to 12 staff and customers through the rear of the building, O’Guin said.

Common Ground has been in the building for about 10 years, he said, and this is the first time something like this has happened there.

Rubble covered the sidewalk in front of the building as dozens of first responders, including a fire department ladder truck, worked at the scene.

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A technical rescue team was dispatched to the scene, and rescuers used a thermal imager to determine that no one trapped underneath the debris, he said.

A square sign on the side of the building fell on top of the chunks of facade, which had torn free from the roofline of the building.

Officials from city’s inspectional services were at the scene Sunday and were examining the building’s structural integrity, Sanders said.

Officials were concerned that a roughly 30-foot stretch of facade that remained on the building could also collapse, he said. Firefighters will remain on the scene throughout the night as officials devise a plan to make sure the building is safe, he said.

Boston police and EMS were also working at the scene, along with Eversource and National Grid workers, Sanders said.

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In a Twitter post, the fire department asked people to avoid the area.

Globe correspondent Adam Sennott contributed to this report. John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com.Source: Google News | Netizen 24 United States