Wall falls after partial collapse of Pine Bluff building

No one was injured Thursday night when a wall collapsed outward from a long-vacant Pine Bluff building as crews worked to demolish a leaning wall.

Pine Bluff Fire Department Deputy Chief Ernest Jones said crews were called to 401 S. Main St. [PHOTO FROM BEFORE COLLAPSE] about 7 p.m. after a partial collapse of the two-story, brick storefront. That collapse sent the roof inward but didn't send any debris into the surrounding area, Jones said.

Firefighters surveyed the damage, however, and determined one wall was leaning.

"So we needed to get it on the ground before it would fall and hurt someone," Jones said, adding a contractor was brought in to the do the work. "In that process, the wall went ahead and collapsed out."

Debris, including some that landed on nearby railroad tracks, was cleared by midnight.

Jones said the building has been unoccupied for years. He said the initial, partial collapse was thought to have been caused by structural problems that accumulated over years of nonuse.

No other nearby buildings were damaged.

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