WYNNEFIELD (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia city officials joined neighbors in Wynnefield Sunday morning in shock as they stared at the wreckage of a collapsed home at Woodbine and Bryn Avenues. By sunrise, bulldozers and excavators were at the site moving the rubble.
According to officials, the home collapsed sometime after 11 p.m. on Saturday night.
Naomi, a neighbor, said she was out for a walk when she heard the earth-shattering sound of the collapse.
“I live around the corner, and the second we went around the corner, that’s when we heard the boom, and there was a lot of smoke,” she said.
Larry lives across the street from the collapsed home and said the first thing he did when he saw the wreckage was call his mother.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this happen in my life. Especially in Wynnefield. I really can’t believe this happened,” said Larry, who’s also been in the neighborhood for decades.
It also brought out State Senator Vincent Hughes, who said he also has a history with the collapsed home, having attended an event there years ago.
“Devastating,” said Hughes. “I’ve known this home for years. I mean, for decades.”
He said a thorough investigation should be done into what caused the collapse so it doesn’t happen to another home in the neighborhood.
“Philly’s an old city, and we really need to get to why this occurred, and then hopefully we can learn from that,” said Hughes.
Officials said no one was hurt in the collapse, but relatives of the previous owner said they were inside the home just hours before. They said they inherited it from their mother, who recently passed away.
The city continues to investigate the cause of the collapse.
No one was hurt in the collapse, which happened around 11 p.m. Saturday night.
No one was hurt in the collapse, which happened around 11 p.m. Saturday night.
