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Police arrest owner of Harrisburg church after roof collapse, cite him for code violations
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/02/roof_of_abandoned_church_long.html
HARRISBURG — The owner of an abandoned church with a long history of building violations was charged Friday night after the roof of the church collapsed, endangering nearby residents.
The roof collapsed Friday at an abandoned church at 12th and Magnolia streets in Harrisburg.
City fire Chief Brian Enterline said that fire and police arrived after 6 p.m. Friday at the church on Magnolia at 12th Street to find that part of the church's roof had fallen into the street and onto two next door properties.
The church's owner, 48-year-old Augustus E. Sullivan, was led from the scene in handcuffs by city police a short time later to face various building code violations and other charges, Enterline said.
"This building has been a hazard for us for numerous years," Enterline said. "There were multiple times where he was told that the building needed to come down."
Magnolia Street was blocked around the church and two houses next to the building, 1341 and 1343 South 12th Street, were evacuated as a precaution, when firefighters discovered at least two main walls of the building were not supported and in danger of tipping over completely, Enterline said.
Red Cross arrived at the scene shortly after 8 p.m. to assist the five adults and four children displaced after the collapse, but their fate remained unknown Friday night.
If the building was found to be in serious danger of collapsing further, it could take weeks or even months before the city could demolish it, Enterline said.
Structural engineers and city officials were scheduled to inspect the building further Monday to determine if the families can move back in and the exact condition of the church, according to Enterline.
"At this point all we can do is barricade the area in case that wall comes down," the chief said.
As far as firefighters could tell, two masonry walls from the third floor to the roof were more or less completely unsupported on either side of the building following the cave-in. Each wall stands over a story in height and is essentially a stack of bricks without any real reinforcement, Enterline said.
While the snow and ice seen over the past few weeks likely led to weakening the structure to the point of collapse, the building's long history of disrepair has been documented. Enterline said the building must come down, but the city simply did not have the resources to demolish it immediately.
"This can stand as a warning to other owners of delinquent properties in the city," Enterline said. "We will no longer play the game with you; we will come after you."
This story has been updated to correct the age of Sullivan.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/02/roof_of_abandoned_church_long.html
HARRISBURG — The owner of an abandoned church with a long history of building violations was charged Friday night after the roof of the church collapsed, endangering nearby residents.
The roof collapsed Friday at an abandoned church at 12th and Magnolia streets in Harrisburg.
City fire Chief Brian Enterline said that fire and police arrived after 6 p.m. Friday at the church on Magnolia at 12th Street to find that part of the church's roof had fallen into the street and onto two next door properties.
The church's owner, 48-year-old Augustus E. Sullivan, was led from the scene in handcuffs by city police a short time later to face various building code violations and other charges, Enterline said.
"This building has been a hazard for us for numerous years," Enterline said. "There were multiple times where he was told that the building needed to come down."
Magnolia Street was blocked around the church and two houses next to the building, 1341 and 1343 South 12th Street, were evacuated as a precaution, when firefighters discovered at least two main walls of the building were not supported and in danger of tipping over completely, Enterline said.
Red Cross arrived at the scene shortly after 8 p.m. to assist the five adults and four children displaced after the collapse, but their fate remained unknown Friday night.
If the building was found to be in serious danger of collapsing further, it could take weeks or even months before the city could demolish it, Enterline said.
Structural engineers and city officials were scheduled to inspect the building further Monday to determine if the families can move back in and the exact condition of the church, according to Enterline.
"At this point all we can do is barricade the area in case that wall comes down," the chief said.
As far as firefighters could tell, two masonry walls from the third floor to the roof were more or less completely unsupported on either side of the building following the cave-in. Each wall stands over a story in height and is essentially a stack of bricks without any real reinforcement, Enterline said.
While the snow and ice seen over the past few weeks likely led to weakening the structure to the point of collapse, the building's long history of disrepair has been documented. Enterline said the building must come down, but the city simply did not have the resources to demolish it immediately.
"This can stand as a warning to other owners of delinquent properties in the city," Enterline said. "We will no longer play the game with you; we will come after you."
This story has been updated to correct the age of Sullivan.
