3 injured in partial building collapse

October 22, 2018 12:12 pm

By Chloe Leshner

Email: cleshner@abc6.com

Twitter: @ChloeLeshner

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) – Demolition crews have spent months working inside the historic Hope Webbing Company Mill building, reportedly working on converting the space to housing units.

But Monday morning the unexpected happened— the second floor gave way, crashing down to the basement.

Dozens of firefighters swarmed the old mill building in Pawtucket around 10:00 a.m. Monday, attempting to rescue construction workers trapped inside.

“People were on stretchers,” said Joseph Pakuris, owner of the nearby Kitchen & Countertop Center of New England. “We were pretty far away but from what I could see people looked conscious they had neck braces on.”

Several workers were inside when a portion of the second floor collapsed, and three were brought to the hospital to be treated for injuries.

One woman had to be pulled out of the rubble.

“When you have a victim trapped in a collapse you have to be careful not to disturb the collapse around them so they used their hands instead of trying to use big tools,” said acting Pawtucket Fire Department Battalion Chief Michael Thurber.

A spokesperson for the developer, Urban Smart Growth, said the firm is very concerned about what happened and they’re working with the general contractor and officials on the investigation.

Metric Construction, the general contractor, had no comment.

The building inspector and OSHA were on scene.

The Battalion Chief said the fire department will determine whether the building will be cleared for further use or if it needs to be totally condemned.

Pakuris hopes the work continues. He said that the development will be good for Pawtucket.

“It’s a really good thing for the city of Pawtucket,” Pakuris said. “It’s going to be 150 residential units which are attached to the Hope Artiste Mill Building.

The mill building is owned by the Hope Artiste Village LLC, a community complex of vendors and businesses.

The company has not responded to requests for comments at this time.