Philadelphia Man Injured in Rowhome Collapse

PHILADELPHIA (MyFoxPhilly) – It was a scary scene in North Philadelphia on Monday after a two-story row home collapsed, burying one man in debris.

Luckily for that man, a good Samaritan was nearby.

But what caused this seemingly intact building to collapse this morning?

The accident happened on the 1100 block of West Ontario Street in North Philadelphia

The scene captured by a Fox 29 viewer seconds after the wall of this row home collapsed just after 10 a.m., burying the owner under the rubble.

“I heard a man hollering, i just started moving the bricks and the floor and another man assisted me and we picked him up and they came and got him,” said Thomas bailey.

Bailey ran to the injured man’s rescue from his volunteer job at this school across the street.

“It looked like he was on the second floor and he fell down and all the debris came down on him,” Bailey said.

Police and fire crews quickly responded to the scene and took the injured owner to temple university hospital in serious condition with burns and a possible broken leg.

They also evacuated five children and their care takers from a day care center just two doors down.

Marta Carrillo was upset, but counting her blessings when she arrived on the scene. She was about to move into the newly renovated home.

“Thank God we were not in there I have a baby and we have kids. Thank God we were not in the house,” Carillo said.

Gas crews and Peco workers moved in to check for gas leaks and shut off the power so the home could be demolished.

Fire investigators said there was a small fire in the home when they arrived, but they are still not sure what caused the collapse.