Buildings on Main Street Ellicott City on Verge of Collapse

Heather Curtis

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON – People who live and work on Main Street, Ellicott City won’t be allowed back to their residences and businesses for the foreseeable future after building inspectors discovered on Wednesday that two connected buildings are on the verge of collapse.

The buildings have businesses on the bottom and residences on the top with a total of four address in the 8100 block.

“These buildings do concern me. They concern me a whole lot with regards to the dust that could be emanating in the atmosphere from them or debris falling on someone,” Howard County Fire Chief John Butler said Wednesday at an emergency press conference. Another concern he cited is that the debris could end up producing a secondary damming system, which then could bring more flooding.

The county’s departments of inspection and public works are collaborating to figure out the safest way to take the buildings down.

“There’s nobody that wants the community back in their homes and their businesses more than we do. I sincerely say that, and I mean that,” Butler said. But he and Howard County Executive Howard Kittleman said they need to put safety first.

Main Street is closed to everyone but first responders for the foreseeable future.

While officials stressed more buildings may need to come down, they said taking these two down shouldn’t have a major impact on the buildings around them.

(Photo: CNN)