THUNDER BAY - The partial collapse of a Simpson Street business started off a series of unfortunate events, which fortunately did not result in any injuries.
The façade of Maier Hardware on Simpson Street collapsed just after 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, leaving a large pile of debris on the sidewalk.
“My coworker and I were sitting inside and we heard a crash and we figured a vehicle had hit the building,” said Taylor Long, who has worked at the local hardware store for almost a year. “From the front door we saw all the dust and debris.”
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue district chief, John Kaplanis, said the collapse also resulted in a minor motor vehicle collision on Simpson Street when one vehicle was hit from behind by another.
“We had an unfortunate chain of events occur on Simpson Street this morning,” he said. “Maier Hardware, the façade on the building collapsed, and at about the same time, two motor vehicles that were passing by were distracted by the collapse and we had a little fender bender.”
There were no reports of injuries from either the collapse or the collision. But there was concern that the remaining façade of the building could come down, so Thunder Bay Fire Rescue cordoned off the area before city of Thunder Bay crews arrived to clean up the debris.
“We have a collapsed zone established and don’t want anyone to get in it because we don’t know if the remainder of the building could come down at any time,” Kaplanis said.
There is no word on what caused the front of the building to come down. Long believes strong winds in recent days may have loosened the sign that was on the front of the building and it pulled the rest down.
“It’s a very old building,” Kaplanis added. “The façade, over time, water gets in behind there and freezes and expands and forces stresses on the exterior façade.”
Long said he was not sure of the exact age of the building, but estimates it to be at least 60 or 70 years old.
The owner of Maier Hardware is out of town currently but he has been contacted about the collapse. The store will remain closed until the building is inspected by the store's insurance provider.
Traffic along Simpson Street was slowed in order to allow crews to clean up the sidewalk.
After seeing the amount of debris left on the sidewalk from the front of the building, Long said he is incredibly thankful no one was hurt.
“If someone had been hit by that, I’m glad no one got hurt,” he said. “I thought it was going to be an easy day at work but instead half our building decided to fall off.”
