No injuries in vacant Philadelphia house collapse

A North Philadelphia rowhouse that collapsed Sunday is likely to be demolished in coming days, city officials said.

The three-story house on the 2500 block of North Sixth Street had partially collapsed March 16. About 9:40 a.m. Sunday, more of the property collapsed into an adjacent vacant lot, officials say. No injuries were reported in either episode.

After the first collapse, the structure was deemed imminently dangerous and the owner was ordered to fix or demolish it, said Scott Mulderig, director of the Department of Licenses and Inspections' emergency services and abatement division.

The owner told the city she could not afford those options, Mulderig said.

L&I was seeking court approval to demolish the property or compel the owner to, he added. He estimated the average cost to demolish a two-story rowhouse at about $15,000.

Mulderig said the property and an adjoining one belonging to the same owner would be torn down. He said doorways had been installed between the two rowhouses illegally, creating one big property.