Wall collapse at Wilmington parking garage causes ‘significant’ damage to 4 buildings

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Wall collapse at Wilmington parking garage causes ‘significant’ damage to 4 buildings

A cinderblock wall that comprised one side of a multi-story parking garage in Wilmington collapsed Monday morning, causing “significant damage” to at least four nearby buildings, the Wilmington Fire Department confirmed.

As of 1 p.m., there were no reported injuries. However, New Castle County’s urban search and rescue team was conducting a “thorough search” of the buildings to ensure no one was trapped inside, said fire department spokesperson and Battalion Chief Robert Pryor.

The collapse, which happened a little before noon at the city’s HyPark Garage, caused about three stories worth of cinderblock to rain down onto the rear of several buildings in the 100 block of W. 9th St, Pryor said. The garage runs in the 900 block between N. Orange and N. Shipley streets.

Firefighters peer into a building near the 900 block of N. Shipley St. after about three stories worth of cinderblock fell off the back of parking garage (right).

While the collapse started a small fire on the roof of one of the buildings due to a broken gas line on a heater, firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, Pryor said.

As the search of the buildings continues, officials with Wilmington’s Department of Licenses and Inspections are also working to perform a structural assessment. It will take some time before the assessment is complete.

Pryor said “multiple” streets and sidewalks are closed in the area. That included N. Orange Street at Burton Place and N. Shipley Street at 10th Street.

As of about 1:30 p.m., firefighters were located at 9th and Orange streets with the department’s ladder truck. They could be seen entering the buildings in the 100 block of 9th St. that had the wall collapse on them.

Around the corner on N. Shipley Street, firefighters could also be seen on ladders, where they were peering into the backs of those buildings.

Most buildings and businesses appeared to be vacant, with “for *****” signs posted in their windows despite business names still advertised on their awnings.

One of the closed businesses was Solid Gold Jewelers, whose owner was the victim of a brutal robbery by Calvin Ushery in September 2022. Ushery, who was later sentenced for the crime, beat the then-68-year-old with a hammer before robbing the store.

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First responders are on scene at a wall collapses that occurred at a parking garage in the 900 block between N. Shipley and N. Orange streets.

Several people who were in the parking garage could be seen looking down on the firefighters Monday afternoon, watching them as they worked.

“Fortunately,” Pryor said, “it’s a holiday, so there’s not as much traffic down here.”

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Pryor said the cause of the collapse will be determined by an engineer with the city’s license and inspections department.

By about 2:15 p.m., some Wilmington fire trucks could be seen leaving the area. Several chunks of concrete remained on the sidewalk in the 900 block of N. Orange St., though there appeared to be no damage to the cars parked across the street.

This is a developing story. Return to delawareonline.com for updates.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal:

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