CAÑON CITY, Colo. — The Cañon City Police Department is investigating a partial building collapse on Main Street. It happened around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The department says the building is two stories, with a vape shop on the first floor and an apartment on the second floor. Police say no one in the apartment was home, but there were people on the first floor at the time it partially collapsed.
Everyone made it out of the building safely, and police say no one was injured during the incident. The family who lived in the department is displaced at the time, and the City of Cañon City says they are staying with family.
The City of Cañon City says a structural engineer is assessing the building and an asbestos company is on-site.
"We can't speak for the stability of the structure, so if somebody decides to come in there and a strong wind comes along or something, we don't know if that will knock this building over, so we're just asking people to stay out of the area right now," said Tim Bell with the Cañon City Police Department.
News5's Devan Karp went to the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center to learn more about the building.
"So there's a two story addition here, and sometime after 1964, there was a two addition added on in the backside here to make it flat," said Lisa Studts with the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center.
Studts says a part of that addition is what collapsed. She also said another wall on the addition started to crack in 2009.
"Those brick walls look like they're 3 bricks wide, so they're 3 wides, and the way they lay the brick it ties all those layers together," said Michael Madone, the Owner of Mountain Masonry.
Madone also said that maintenance is key to keeping older buildings stay in good shape.
"Make people aware," said Madone. "Those buildings are old buildings, so if you see cracks, they do need to be up-kept. They do last a long time, I honestly think the old buildings are built to last longer than a lot of the new buildings built today."
All utilities of the building have been shut off and Cañon City's Building Department is working with the owner to analyze options. The cause of the partial collapse is under investigation.
Until a cause is determined, the City of Cañon City says no one is allowed inside the building. Once the cause and condition of the rest of the building are determined, the Building Department will assess whether or not the building, which was built in 1888, needs to be torn down.
The City of Cañon City requires proper permits for construction activities and is using the 2018 International Building Code.
If there is a concern about the structural integrity of a building, you are asked to call City Hall at (719)269-9011 and ask to speak to Kathy Ulsh, the City’s Building Official.
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