June 27--A large section of a vacant tobacco plant collapsed Wednesday night in downtown Winston-Salem, authorities said. No one was injured.
The incident occurred around 8:15 p.m. when Winston-Salem firefighters received a 911 call about an explosion near the intersection of 10th and Chestnut Streets, said Capt. Scottie Emerson, an acting battalion chief with the Winston-Salem Fire Department. No explosion occurred at the building at 111 E. 10th St., Emerson said.
A 9,600-square-foot section of the old Piedmont Leaf Tobacco Co. collapsed, producing a large sound that the 911 caller may have thought it was an explosion, Emerson said. The vacant building likely collapsed from its old age and deterioration over the years from the weather, he said.
After the collapse, about 20 firefighters searched the building to look for anyone who may have inside it, Emerson said. No one was in the building at the time.
(336) 727-7299
Copyright 2013 - Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.
