UPDATED: 6:20 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two adjoining houses under construction in South Philadelphia collapsed Tuesday afternoon, reducing part of a block of row homes to rubble. Officials say no one was hurt.
Officials say crews were inside at least one of two houses under construction on the 700 block of Mercy Street, one block north of Snyder Avenue in South Philly, when the collapse happened around noon.
The workers inside were able to escape without harm, and no one outdoors in the vicinity was injured.
"Honestly it wasn't that loud it was just brick facade. So it just sounded like crumbling brick. The loudest part was probably the brick hitting the cars was the loudest part of it. And just the smell of gas and the wires coming down was the worst part," said Jacqueline Walker, who lives two doors away.
Neighbors say the area is being redeveloped and improvements are being made all over the place.
Officials say the front wall of one property under construction fell, bringing the neighboring vacant house's front wall down with it.
A car was severely damaged after bricks and debris fell on top of it.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation.
