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Salt Lake City home collapses further while awaiting demolition

Posted at 6:49 PM, Apr 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-25 13:15:54-04

SALT LAKE CITY – A home near Liberty Park is a total loss after it partially collapsed Wednesday, and the structure will be demolished.

Thursday morning the home collapsed even further.

The house at 738 East Roosevelt Avenue was vacant.

Neighbors heard the walls come crashing down and alerted the fire department around 6 p.m.

Investigators said the home was undergoing renovations to its basement.

“A contractor had been working on digging out the basement,” said Capt. Matt Hovermale with the Salt Lake City Fire Department.

The collapse is believed to be a result of a loss of foundation integrity. Investigators said this type of damage is rare.

“This is a first for me in my career,” Hovermale said.  “I was expecting to see a house on fire collapsing, but there was no fire.  It just collapsed.”

Workers finished their work for the day moments before the brick walls toppled to the ground.  Nobody was injured.

The home will be demolished once the proper approvals have been secured, likely on Thursday or Friday.

Courtesy: SLC Fire Department

Courtesy: SLC Fire Department