The collapse happened around 3:15 p.m. It sent bricks and debris spilling into the road and onto the buildings on either side.
Public Safety officials are asking drivers to avoid the area. Fifth Avenue is closed between Marion and Pride streets. It will remain closed for officials to work through the emergency demolition process.
Marco Merante was inside his family’s business, Merante Brothers Italian-American Market, when the top floor of the abandoned building next door came crashing down.
“I mean to tell you that was the scariest minute of my life. I legit thought a bomb was hitting the city, that’s how loud that was. Everything started shaking. I thought my building was coming down,” Merante said.
The initial collapse caused the back half of another building to collapse and sent rubble through the roof of Merante’s business.
“Our second floor is completely compromised. Not good,” Merante said.
The collapse also left a thick film of dust on cars parked nearby.
“I was just really confused and I was like, ‘Why is my car covered in dirt?’” questioned Travis Reed, who works nearby and parked in a lot adjacent to the collapse.
“It’s kind of a shock, I will say that,” added fellow Uptown employee David Cooper.
Allegheny County Police used a drone to confirm no one was inside the collapsed structures.
Pittsburgh Public Safety officials say the two buildings with the most damage were already condemned.
“This building is a condemned structure. It was condemned before today, before the collapse. It is certainly not a stable structure,” said Pittsburgh Public Information Officer Emily Bourne.
According to Merante, the neighboring building had been in pretty bad shape for quite a while.
“The entire roof has been collapsing in on itself for many years here, so this is just pure negligence at this point. It was going to happen. How long are we going to look at a falling-over building until it falls over? It’s like Jenga,” Merante said.
Merante has insurance but will have to keep his business closed for quite some time while his second floor is cleaned up and the structural integrity of his building and the adjacent buildings are checked.
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