A section of the basement foundation wall at 2 S. Vernon St. on Sunbury Square collapsed on Sunday afternoon, October 25, forcing the evacuation of a hair salon, closing East Cherry Street and leaving the building posted unsafe, according to a release from the BST&G Fire District published by the Delaware Source. All occupants were safely evacuated, and the fire district said in its release that no civilians or firefighters were injured.
BST&G crews from Station 351 were dispatched at about 1:55 p.m. to a reported basement collapse at the building, which houses Village Hair Company and two other storefronts, according to the release. Crews arrived about a minute later and found that a large section of the basement foundation wall along East Cherry Street had failed, allowing block, brick and soil to fall into the basement, and that soil beneath part of the adjacent East Cherry Street sidewalk was also exposed.
Firefighters evacuated the occupants and confirmed the building’s other two storefronts were unoccupied, the fire district said in its release. During their assessment, crews found cracking in the exterior brick facade and in first-floor interior walls, and additional resources were requested from BST&G Station 352 and the Porter Kingston Fire District Special Operations Trailer as crews began installing temporary shoring in the basement to support the first floor.
While that shoring work was under way, conditions worsened, according to the release. New cracks developed and the north wall along East Cherry Street began leaning outward, and with all occupants already safely out of the building, the fire commander on scene withdrew firefighters from the structure and established a safety perimeter rather than expose crews to the risk of further collapse.
East Cherry Street was closed and all utilities to the building were shut off, and Delaware County Code Compliance posted the building unsafe pending evaluation by a forensic engineer, the fire district said in its release. The cause of the collapse has not been determined. The district cautioned in its release that although the building may appear stable from the street, crews have observed signs its condition is continuing to deteriorate, and the area inside the barricades is not safe for anyone to enter.
BST&G and the Sunbury Police Department are monitoring the scene, and officials asked the public to stay outside the barricades at all times and call 911 to report any visible changes, according to the release. East Cherry Street will remain closed until the building has been evaluated and officials determine it is safe to reopen, and traffic on the square is limited to local traffic only.
For drivers, the Ohio Department of Transportation is posting temporary signage for a detour using State Route 3 and U.S. 36 to County Road 605 and State Route 605 and then to State Route 37 East, and motorists should follow the posted signs because the route may be adjusted, the fire district said in its release. The district said in its release that the information was preliminary as of Sunday at 6:20 p.m., with updates to follow.
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