At about 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a portion of a brick building’s exterior wall and scaffolding fell onto East Galena Boulevard in Aurora, injuring three individuals with minor injuries, according to CBS News. The incident occurred in the 100 block of East Galena, near the intersection of Broadway and Galena, prompting the Aurora Police Department to close the intersection in all four directions and advise motorists to use alternate routes.
Police reported that a car was parked beneath the scaffolding at the time of the collapse, but no occupants were inside the vehicle or the building when the debris fell. Firefighters evacuated the structure as a precaution and deployed a drone to assess the condition of the upper portion of the building. Crews also sprayed water on the façade to prevent additional pieces from falling onto the roadway, though more debris subsequently dropped into the building.
Mayor John Laesch posted a video to Facebook stating that the building had suffered previous structural damage and that the city is working with the property owner to review structural and engineering plans. The building, which has been under construction for more than a year, was slated to become a restaurant on the first floor, with vacant residential units on the upper levels. The work, including extensive tuckpointing, had been approved by the city.
“The brick was deteriorating, a lot of the grout was going out, so they were doing a lot of tuckpointing,” said Josh Alcaraz, Aurora’s director of property standards, as reported by CBS News. Resident Layza Ceballos expressed frustration, noting, “We’ve seen all the scaffolding here for a while and it almost seemed like nothing was getting done. So now seeing this scaffolding on the floor, it’s kind of crazy because it’s like, well, what was all the work really for?”
The three people who were hurt sustained minor injuries and are expected to recover fully, though the exact manner in which they were injured remains unclear. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation by city officials and state authorities.
What’s next: Aurora police and fire departments will continue to keep the Broadway‑Galena intersection closed until the site is deemed safe. City officials plan to evaluate the building’s structural integrity and may require additional repairs or demolition, depending on the investigation’s findings. Residents are urged to avoid the area and follow updates from the Aurora Police Department for reopening timelines.
Sources: cbsnews.com
