Vacant house collapses in Monessen
MONESSEN – It has yet to be determined what caused a vacant house in Monessen to collapse Friday morning.
Emergency personnel were called to 31 Reed Ave. shortly before 8:45 a.m.
“It was a wild sight,” said Monessen Fire Chief Delmar Hepple. “It was a total collapse.”
About an hour later, emergency personnel were at the scene trying to determine if anyone was in the building. Drones flew over the site and cameras were pushed into the building to determine if anyone may have been trapped in the rubble.
“What we’re doing (Friday morning) is making sure there are no squatters,” Hepple said. “We have to assume that there is a possibility that someone could be there. We pushed cameras in and ran the sewage authority cameras into the basement and took a good look. We didn’t find anyone.”
Mayor Ron Moser said Friday afternoon that steps were being taken to clear the area.
“We’re in the process of getting it cleared for demolition,” Moser said. “The person that owns that property actually lives in the state of New York. There’s either a son or grandson that lives in Monessen who has power of attorney. We’re working with him to get a release so we can get the property cleaned out.”
The cause of the collapse remained unknown Friday afternoon.
“Right now, it just fell down,” he said. “That’s all we know.”
Companies responding to the scene included Monessen No. 1, Monessen No. 2, Charleroi, Bentleyville and Fallowfield Township. Mon Valley Emergency Medical Services also was called.
Monessen is in the midst of demolishing vacant buildings that have been decaying, in deplorable condition or have started to collapse.
“It’s been going extremely well,” Moser said. “We’ve got 55 of them on the ground right now. Another 44, I believe, are in the process, going through one phase or another, of being prepared to be brought down. The list just keeps growing. I’ve got confirmation from (Westmoreland County) commissioners that they’ll do up to 300 homes for us. We’re all on board.”
In recent years, those have included 500 Donner Ave., which housed the Monessen Savings and Trust and a Health Mart Discount Center over the years; the Fifth Avenue Hotel, which was on a lot between 124 Fifth St. and 469 Schoonmaker Ave., and the building that once housed The Valley Independent newspaper, which listed addresses from 123-127 Sixth St. And a building adjacent to 31 Reed was demolished recently. However, the building that collapsed Friday was not one scheduled for demolition.
“This is why they’re in the process of tearing down dozens of houses in town, because they’re unstable,” Hepple explained. “I didn’t know this one to be unstable, but obviously, looks can be deceiving.”
No injuries have been reported from any building collapses or from resulting debris.
“So far, it’s been a very good thing,” Moser said.
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