Watch CBS News

Wall Of Bricks Collapses Onto Sidewalk In East Oakland

OAKLAND (CBS SF) - What was first reported as a building explosion in Oakland early Monday morning turned out to be the facade collapse of an aging building.

Emergency officials had responded to the scene, at 13th and International, a building that houses Express Liquor and Market as well as several work-live units.

The call first came in to the fire department at approximately 6:15 a.m.

"It looks like dry rot or masonry degraded over time and it just way," explained one of the firefighters summoned to the scene.

"I'd say roughly 1,000 lbs. if I was guessing," the firefighter estimated the size of rubble on the sidewalk.

KCBS' Holly Quan Reports:

Normally, there is a lot of foot traffic in and out of the market, making it especially remarkable that there were no injuries in the incident. Still, the facade actually stretches halfway down the block, and engineers were expressing concern about whether the roughly 75-year-old structure had become so unstable that additional brick work could give way at any time.

Consequently, the sidewalk and one lane of traffic was blocked off indefinitely.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.