A boulder rolled right into a Yonkers building Monday morning, causing part of it to collapse. The boulder, about 10 feet wide and 10 feet tall, plowed into a tool rental shop on Saw Mill River Road. Fortunately, no one was inside the business at the time. NBC New York’s Marc Santia reports.
A family business in the New York City suburb of Yonkers partially collapsed Monday morning in a bizarre incident as a boulder rolled down a hill behind the structure and hit it, according to the mayor's office.
Yonkers firefighters responded to reports of a possible building collapse on Saw Mill River Road around 7 a.m. and found a large portion of the building had collapsed, officials said. The boulder — described as being 10 feet high and 10 feet wide — had become free, slid down the hill and hit the two-story building, according to the fire department.
The backside of the business was left a mound of rubble, cinder blocks and twisted metal. The boulder was dislodged by recent rainy weather, according to Yonkers Fire Chief Joseph Citrone.
No injuries were reported and there is no danger to the public or nearby homes in the New York City suburb, the fire department said.
The business, Peterson Tool Rental, has been a pillar in the community since 1952. The family shop known for servicing, selling and renting tools to contractors and home owners was forced to close Monday, and many questions remain for when it could reopen.
One concern for first responders was a 500-gallon interior heating oil tank that leaked fuel as a result of the impact, which has led to a hazmat situation as a precaution, the mayor told NBC New York. The cleanup was underway Monday. Snow blowers and other equipment was also damaged.
The Liberty Lines bus route will be affected, the mayor said. Fire officials said the road remained closed in both directions, but they were hoping to have it reopened soon after the incident.
U.S. & World
First responders said everything could have been much worse if it happened during business hours.
"That could have been a disaster. There could have been probably a dozen people that work here. Customers, everything. Beginning of the week, landscapers, people coming in and out. So the fact happened in the middle of the night a blessing in disguise," Citrone said.
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