Building on brink of collapse in Detroit

DETROIT – Detroit firefighters were checking fire hydrants and came across the building on Tuesday.

They put up caution tape and called the city's building department. Their first concern is for falling bricks. Their second concern is that the building, which is at the corner of Cameron and Philadelphia, is in imminent danger of collapsing.

"I'll be happy to get it down," said Betty Gillespie, who lives right across the street.

Gillespie, 86, has lived here since the 1950s. She's worried about the building falling on someone.

"It needs to be torn down," she said.

Bricks are falling off of it and the walls are bowing out.

"Somebody could get killed walking by ... bricks could fall on you," said Gillespie's son, Gary Gillespie.

He pointed out if the building comes down on the street an ambulance not aware that it's there would be blocked from getting to his mother's home if she needed help.

"And that's why it needs to be torn down so that way we will have no situation like that," he said.


About the Author:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.