Blast fails to fell 100-foot fire-damaged tower.
The last standing tower at the former Rieter Automotive plant is not going down without a fight.
Wednesday workers attempted to bring down the more than 100-feet-tall tower using an explosive charge that was expected to blow out two of the main supports and cause the structure to fall to the west, according to Jimmy Harper, project manager of WEL Co.
“It ain’t coming down,” Harper said. The loud percussive blast intended to raze the tower sent some small pieces of metal into the area where emergency responders and onlookers gathered in the rain to watch the demolition.
When the dust cleared, the tower, already ravaged from the August fire, did not budge.
Harper said he is not sure what prevented the charges from detonating. The manufacturer had provided information earlier in the morning that the weather would not impact the charges, but Harper said it appears that was not the case.
Video and still cameras were set up at the blast site to capture the detonation and demolition. That information will be reviewed. Harper said the building will still be coming down but it will take a couple days to have more explosives brought in from out of state and get the building wired again.
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