Water Main Break Causes Partial Building Collapse

Crews are left with two options after a water leak caused a large hole in a downtown St. Pete road, and a church’s wall to come crashing down Thursday morning. Central Avenue has finally reopened but the scene at Church Underground remained active Friday. Engineers are working to decide whether they can save the building, or if they will have to cut it out from the connected structures behind it and call it a loss. It was difficult for crews to work in the area Thursday, as they stood on potentially unstable ground and worried the building may collapse, but they were eventually able to input timber and jacks to hold things in place.