Russellville FD, county officials dealing with partial building collapse

Monday, August 12, 2024 at 8:35 AM

By Paul Gable

Officials responded to a partial building collapse in Ruseellville in the 200 block of South Harrison Street.

Age is expected to be the main culprit of a partial building collapse in Russellville over the weekend.

According to Russellville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Darrick Wiatt, officials responded to a partial building collapse in the 200 block of South Harrison Street.

"It appears the parapet wall on the east side of the building started to come down. We were notified by some concerned citizens," Wiatt told The Putnam County Post, adding he believes age caused the collapse.

Wiatt said the building has not been in good shape for years.

"The west side of the building started to go a year or two ago. It's not really something you pay attention to until something happens. It definitely has our attention now," Wiatt said.

Wiatt said building collapses are not something he is "super familiar with," but he admits his department took all safety measures, beginning with blocking off the collapse zone. In addition, the department notified Putnam County Building Inspector Lisa Zeiner to look at the building.

"Lisa was very concerned and motivated to get the issue resolved quickly. Hopefully, we have some answers the first of the week and are able to get the street opened soon," Wiatt said.

The fire chief told The Putnam County Post it's a blessing someone wasn't injured as children typically ride their bicycles around the building.

"Children frequently ride their bike up and down the sidewalk where the bricks fell through," he said.

And, Wiatt has a clear message to residents while the street is closed.

"We encourage residents to take the marked off area seriously. With what happened in North Salem several weeks ago, we aren't willing to take any chances. We cannot allow something tragic to happen and take this seriously. If anyone has any questions they can reach to our Facebook page or me personally," Wiatt said.