According to a report from KSDK TV, the crew was in the process of demolishing two buildings Friday morning when the collapse occurred. Because the crew was asked to salvage the building’s bricks to be resold, two workers were on the building’s third floor, cleaning and stacking the bricks on pallets.
Suddenly, around 11:30 a.m., a portion of the building’s facade fell, sending one of the workers down into the basement. Soon after, truck operator Chuck Mace ran into the dust and rubble and immediately began working to unbury the workers.
Several other workers began assisting Mace despite fear that the building could suffer another collapse.
According to the station’s report, a building inspector said, “the pallets of bricks should not have been stacked above the large window openings, because they are not as sound as a solid wall would be.”
