EAST PITTSBURGH, Pa. — There were no injuries when a multifamily home partially collapsed in East Pittsburgh late Thursday night.
The borough manager said the issue started at the top of the building when decorative bricks began falling. That took out a porch on the third floor, which collapsed onto the second-story porch. The cascade eventually brought the front of the building to come crashing to the ground in a pile of bricks and wood.
“The guess from our engineer is freeze-thaw cycles pushed the brick forward, but there is no official determination,” Borough Manager Seth Abrams said.
Abrams said three people were displaced by the collapse.
People living nearby told Channel 11 they heard a loud bang and feared the building could collapse even further. Abrams said right now, it is stabilized.
“There is no immediate risk of the building falling down and affecting the buildings on either side or any further fall into the sidewalk or street,” he said.
According to Allegheny County records, the building is 81 years old and privately owned. Before the partial collapse, it was listed as being in fair condition.
The borough last inspected the building in 2016 and there were no red flags.
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