Partial Building Collapse in Shamokin

SHAMOKIN — The News Item reports that Route 61 in Shamokin was closed for more than an hour as city officials, firefighters and police officers responded to a partial building collapse of a vacant property at 309 E. Sunbury St. The property is owned by ALK Construction Group Corp., which purchased the building three months ago at tax sale. According to Shamokin Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Rogers, ALK Construction had been in communication with the code office and had expressed a desire to renovate the building prior to Tuesday’s partial collapse. Chief of Police Raymond Siko II said police, along with firefighters, helped evacuate at least four people from an apartment building at 305 E. Sunbury St. out of an abundance of caution
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Rogers said the city decided to put up fencing around the sidewalk to keep pedestrians from passing the potentially dangerous building, and officials informed residents of adjacent buildings that they may reenter their residences at their own risk. Rogers said the building had collapsed inside of itself from the third floor to the first floor. Sunbury Street was reopened to traffic by 5 p.m., about 90 minutes after the first reported building collapse.