Firefighters work to tear down abandoned building

<p>Eight people are homeless and a main thoroughfare is closed for one block after Yonkers city officials decided to tear down an abandoned two-story apartment.</p>

News 12 Staff

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Apr 16, 2018, 1:28 AM

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Updated 2,397 days ago

Eight people are homeless and a main thoroughfare is closed for one block after Yonkers city officials decided to tear down an abandoned two-story apartment.

The moves comes immediately after it was discovered that the structure at 205 Ashburton Ave. was about to collapse.

Yonkers Assistant Fire Chief Edward Cucolo said as the wind began to blow, parts of the building started to shake.

Yonkers firefighters say neighbors had called to report flying pieces of metal from the two-story apartment building.

Officials said it was so close to collapsing that they decided to take down the building immediately.

Crews worked into the night to dismantle it, causing police to shut down the busy avenue for hours and evacuate four adults and four children next door.

The one-block closure also left nearby businesses like Cabana Bar and Restaurant worried about customer traffic.

The Red Cross is working to relocate the two families as the weather turned colder and windier.

Officials say they hope to have the building completely down by Monday morning and the evacuated families back inside their home.