CINCINNATI — A building in the East End partially collapsed Monday morning, according to the Cincinnati Fire Department.
The partial collapse happened around 3:17 a.m. Monday morning at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Vance Street. When firefighters first got to the scene, they found all three floors of the front of the building had collapsed onto the sidewalk and into the street. No one was injured.
Records from the City of Cincinnati's Building and Inspections Department show the structure was a multi-family unit that was vacant at the time of the collapse, a city spokesperson said. Building inspectors were notified of the collapse and responded to the scene, checking to see if there could be additional structural collapses.
Watch below to see the latest at the scene:
Inspectors have issued orders for an emergency demolition and have obtained a contractor to carry out the excavation and wrecking operation, the city said in a statement.
The city said that it had issued four civil citations at the location in the last eight years for failure to comply with city orders and bring the structure into compliance with the state building code.
Riverside Drive is closed between Bains Street and Collins Avenue at this time; it's unclear when it may reopen.
Jenna Kanoza, a cyclist who regularly uses the route, said the closure cut off her path to meet friends.
"This is the only way to get there on a bike," Kanoza said. "I can't go on Columbia Parkway, it's pretty dangerous for cyclists."
Kanoza said she was also concerned about how the closure could affect people in the surrounding neighborhood.
"I have friends that live by LeBlond pool and rec center, so I just don't know if that's gonna interfere with ... getting to and from places," Kanoza said.
The collapse also hit nearby businesses hard. Clayton Smith, owner of Cincinnati Cars and Coffee, said he tried to turn the traffic backup into a makeshift drive-thru, but with cars forced to turn around in his lot, business has been slow.
"This has negatively impacted the business," Smith said. "I've got employees to pay and things like that, it makes it really difficult to continue business when nobody's able to come through, because I served the commuters more than anybody."
Despite the situation impacting business, Smith remains positive, saying the situation is out of everyone's control.
"You can't really attribute much blame to anybody, and it would just be unfair to try to attribute blame to people; the folks out here have been nothing but kind," said Smith.
As demolition takes place, the building comes down with a history dating back to 1859, as one of the Cincinnati Fire Department's first firehouses.
In 1867, the Cincinnati Fire Department reorganized Fulton Fire Co. No 15 to Company No. 11. It housed a steam engine made by William Jeffers of Pawtucket and was the only non-Cincinnati-built steam pumper used by CFD.
The three-story brick building sheltered Engine Company 11 at Eastern Avenue and Vance Street, but a bad wreck injured multiple firefighters when a double explosion of gas occurred, damaging the building.
The engine-house was vacated by the company immediately after the explosion on November 23, 1910. A new firehouse for Company No. 11 was constructed at 2259 Eastern Avenue in 1911.
Riverside Drive is closed between Bains Street and Collins Avenue at this time; it's unclear when it may reopen.
