Philadelphia apartment complex facade collapses

Part of the facade of a building, located in Philadelphia's Francisville neighborhood, collapsed on Sunday October 6, 2024.  The collapse had as a result debris onto the street and damaged cars. The incident occurred around 9:30p.m. on Sunday. The Philadelphia police and the Fire Board received numerous calls reporting what sounded like an explosion or a building collapse on the 700 block of North 17th Street.

The moment the facade fell was captured from a nearby building. When officials arrived, they found that a section of the building collapsed, sending the debris into the street. Fortunately, no one around the building was injured. The incident occurred at Darrah School Apartments, a converted school.

As a result, 17th and Folsom streets were temporarily closed. The city’s Fire Board and Department of Licenses and Inspections are assessing the building’s structural integrity to determine if evacuation is necessary for it or nearby homes. Pace mentioned that while nothing had been decided yet, there might be a "shelter in place" order, which could change depending on the inspection’s findings.

A resident of the building, Daniel Siy, described the collapse as a loud crash. When he saw the debris scattered outside, he expressed concern about returning to the building. It should be mentioned that the main structure appeared intact, something that was confirmed by the Inspector Pace who said that only the outer part of the building had collapsed.