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South Boston residents displaced after brick façade collapse

BOSTON — About a dozen South Boston residents have been temporarily displaced after a portion of a brick façade collapsed. It happened sometime after 4 p.m. on Athens Street.

Neighbors inside the condo building there told Boston 25 News it happened in a matter of moments without any warning. Witnesses described seeing bricks suddenly crashing down onto the residential street below.

“It was real quick, one or two seconds,” said Ethan Harrington. “I jumped!”

Fortunately, no one was injured. Neighbors said they were relieved that no one had been standing outside in the area at the time.

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“You could see the bricks falling down and the dust. We got what we could and came outside,” said one woman who lives in the building.

Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the collapse. There are some questions as to whether construction done in the area last week played a role.

“There was some work in the street on Friday. So you got some vibrations, you got a 100-year-old house and the ice and water seeping through. It’s probably a combination of things,” said District Fire Chief Kevin Brooks with the Boston Fire Department.

Those who live in the building where the bricks fell from and people across the street without rear access have been told to stay elsewhere for the time being.

Crews are expected to return to the scene Monday morning to clear the street and secure the building for any additional bricks that could come down.