Large boulder causes building collapse

By Renee Anderson

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    YONKERS, New York (WCBS/WLNY) — A building collapsed overnight in Yonkers, New York after a massive boulder came loose and crashed into it, causing a fuel spill.

The two-story cinderblock building is owned by Peterson Tool Rental, a family business that opened in 1953. The building was used to store Bobcats and other construction equipment.

The collapse was discovered at around 7 a.m. Monday on Saw Mill River Road, but it happened sometime overnight, officials said.

“First-arriving units found a massive collapse at the south side of the structure behind me. It appears that a large boulder that was embedded in the hillside behind that let loose, took out the rear wall, which resulted in the two-story southern portion of the building collapsing,” Yonkers Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention Chris DeSantis said.

Photos and videos from the scene show damage to the foundation and equipment under the rubble. The north end of the building may also have to come down because of extensive structural damage.

No one hurt in Yonkers building collapse

Jimmy Nolan, a customer, said the tool-rental business has a stellar reputation. He feels for the owner, Carl Peterson.

“I think everybody who bought a house in Yonkers rented tools out of this place,” Nolan said. “It’s sad.”

But the mess could have been much worse. The impact crushed expensive construction equipment, but no one was inside and there were no injuries.

“The building was unoccupied at the time, thank God,” DeSantis said. “If it occurred during the day, that area of the building is normally occupied by a number of workers. So, luckily, it happened at night while the building was unoccupied.”

The building hugs a rock outcropping that supports a hillside leading to a street above. DeSantis said the recent April showers may have caused the boulder to come loose.

“The boulder appears to have been embedded into the dirt and the hill behind it, and just with the rains and possibly over time — I can’t get back there to evaluate it, but it appears it either sheared off the rest of the rock or just loosened up and came down against the rear wall,” he said.

Section of Saw Mill River Road closed

The area of Saw Mill River Road was roped off and closed for some time in both directions between Tompkins and Ryder avenues.

“In the collapse area, there are still some unsupported areas, so that will have to be taken down carefully in the near future, piece by piece, to avoid causing any further damage to the remaining portion of the structure,” DeSantis said.

An oil tank was also crushed and gallons spilled into the street. First responders used absorbent material to keep the runoff out of storm drains.

“Once we have that cleaned up and we finish putting absorbent down, then we’ll reopen the roadway. The premise will be condemned as a precaution until they get a structural engineer to evaluate it and they begin the process of removing the debris,” DeSantis said.

The road reopened Monday evening.

Tony Aiello contributed to this report.

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