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Scaffolding, Brick Wall Collapse Onto Aurora Street; No Injuries Reported
A partial building collapse sent scaffolding and a brick exterior wall onto East Galena Boulevard in downtown Aurora on Wednesday evening, prompting evacuations and road closures. Officials say the building had prior structural damage, but the cause remains under investigation.
AURORA, Ill. â Police and firefighters rushed to downtown Aurora on Wednesday evening after scaffolding and a section of a brick building's exterior wall gave way and crashed onto the roadway, authorities said.
The collapse occurred just after 6:30 p.m. in the 100 block of East Galena Boulevard, according to Aurora police. Initial reports indicated that vehicles were beneath the debris when the wall came down.
Firefighters evacuated the building as a precaution, and crews deployed a drone to inspect the upper portion of the structure, police said. No injuries had been reported as of Wednesday night, and no one required emergency shelter.
Mayor John Laesch said the building had sustained previous structural damage and that the city was working with the property owner to review structural and engineering plans. It was not immediately clear what triggered the collapse.
The intersection of Broadway and Galena Boulevard was closed in all four directions. Police urged the public to avoid the area and use alternate routes.
The incident unfolded in Aurora's downtown core, a commercial corridor along Galena Boulevard that runs through the heart of the city. The closure of a major downtown intersection could disrupt traffic and nearby businesses into the evening.
City officials did not provide a timeline for reopening the intersection or for the completion of the structural assessment. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.