In Focus: Washington building collapse
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Nathan Engott tries to keep his balance as he crawls out of the debris onto a rooftop as rescuers try to reach him. The roof of the apartment building collapsed the morning of July 12.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington City Fire Capt. Nick Blumer gives Nathan Engott instructions after he is able to escape from the collapsed building at 15 N. Main St., Washington.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Firefighters work to reach Megan Angelone after the building collapse on North Main Street in Washington.
Editor’s note: This is the second part of a two-part series on photographing emotions. The photos are in chronological order.
The morning of July 12, I was heading to the gas station to fill up my car before the start of the shift when I received a call from my editor, asking for my location. She said a building had collapsed and there were people trapped inside.
I quickly made a U-turn and headed to the scene. When I arrived at 15 N. Main St., Washington, I heard a firefighter yelling. “He’s up there!”
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Firefighter David Gump helps Nathan Engott after he is rescued from the collapsed building.
I climbed up the outer staircase of an adjacent building for a better angle. From there, I saw a man emerge from the debris.
A few seconds later, Washington City Fire Capt. Nick Blumer appeared on a ladder, calling to Nathan Engott, in an effort to reach and rescue him. The building was unstable. Unsecured items were hanging from above and ready to drop at any moment.
Engott escaped, but the woman with whom he was living was trapped.
I captured the horror on Engott’s face as he was led away.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
The building was unstable, so City Fire Capt. Nick Blumer is cautious while on a roof. Rescuers worked for more than nine hours to free trapped resident Megan Angelone.
I stood for hours with other members of the media, watching firefighters and rescue personnel work to secure the building. They persevered and never gave up on Megan Angelone, the woman trapped inside. I could not help but wonder if she was still alive and if she would be saved before the rest of the building came down on her.
Angelone was trapped for more than nine hours before rescue workers could extract her from the building. She survived.
It’s a day I, and many others, will never forget.