Crew faces investigation after house is demolished while resident was still inside.
A woman was killed Saturday afternoon in southeast Atlanta as a demolition team tore down a house. Witnesses said the woman was inside the home when the building began crumbling around her.
Residents in the area said the demolition crew began working from the back toward the front. Neighbors said they had wanted the house torn down for years. Then they said they heard the cry for help. Through the afternoon, Atlanta firefighters combed through the debris, making sure there is no one else trapped underneath the rubble. They would find no one else.
Elliott was the first to arrive at the demolished house. “Me and some other people cleared right here,” Elliot said. “I was watching the backhoe turn and as he turned I heard a woman moan.”
Channel 2 Actions News’ camera spotted the demolition team sitting nearby talking with Atlanta homicide detectives and firefighters.
“All the reports that we are receiving is that the building was checked out by the contractors prior to the demolition starting,” Battalion Chief Todd Edwards with the Atlanta Fire Department said.
