An excavator made short work of a gas station cover in Azilda on Saturday night, after Greater Sudbury Fire Services called it in to help collapse the structure.
Firefighters were called to the scene of a partially collapsed structure at mid afternoon on Saturday.
The gas station structure had tipped over on one side, elevating half of the structure in a precarious manner.
“This is central in Azilda,” Deputy Chief Jesse Oshell told Sudbury.com from his truck on Notre Dame Street, where he joined others in observing the structure before the excavator they called in arrived.
At that point, it was unclear whether the partial collapse was due to a structural issue or an amateur demolition effort.
Either way, Oshell noted, there was no protective fencing around the site, where anyone could have walked in.
“I have a grave concern for the safety of residents,” he said, noting that this is why an excavator was called in to finish the job and why firefighters had taped off and were observing the scene.
This is a sentiment expressed by passersby, with at least two commenting to Sudbury.com on the dangerous state of the structure, and the number of children in the neighbourhood.
After more than one hour on site, an excavator arrived on site by approximately 5 p.m. to level the structure.
The situation has been handed on to Building Services with the City of Greater Sudbury to be dealt with. The structure has been vacant for at least a few years, according to a local firefighter.
