HOLYOKE — Residents of an apartment complex were displaced Sunday evening after part of the building’s roof collapsed onto the sidewalk below.
Holyoke Fire Department responded to the building at 145 Essex St. at around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday to find that an approximately 30-foot section of the roof parapet had fallen five stories to the ground below, according to Capt. Kevin Cavagnac. The partial collapse left a large pile of bricks and debris on the sidewalk below.
“Luckily, no one was injured,” Cavagnac said in a statement. Several cars at the scene were damaged, however. “The rest of the building was evacuated.”
On Monday morning, the city was in the process of fencing off Essex Street between Walnut and Elm streets. It is unclear when repairs will be made to the building.
Building inspector Damian Cote did not respond to email and phone messages for comment on Monday. In an interview with The Republican, Cote said that residents of the 30-unit building would not be able to return until the owner made repairs to the damaged area and a second length of parapet.
The property is owned by Windsor Realty LLC, which bought the property for $660,000 in 2002, according to city property records. It is currently valued at $835,400.
The Gazette was unable to reach Windsor Realty on Monday.
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.