Mahanoy City house collapses and blocks borough street
Sep. 8—MAHANOY CITY — A home in the borough that had been deteriorating for years finally collapsed Thursday night during a thunderstorm that moved through the area.
During the evening, a portion of the upper floors of 338 W. Mahanoy Ave. began to give way, and a short time later, the entire west wall of the building crashed onto A Street.
The collapse forced borough workers to close off A Street, between West Mahanoy Avenue and West South Street.
Borough code enforcement officer William Killian III said prior to the collapse, there was a meeting at borough hall to discuss demolishing the building.
"We were just talking about it earlier," Killian said Thursday while standing in the rain near the remains.
He added that a search of the property records determined the owner is deceased and that no other family members are available.
Killian also said he does not remember anyone residing in the home in more than 20 years.
"As long as I can remember, no one lived there," he said.
On Friday morning, a front end loader was parked on A Street near the collapse as crews prepared to tear down what remains of the home and remove the debris to reopen A Street.
There was no time frame given as to when the street will be reopened as of Friday.
Contact the writer: fandruscavage@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6013
