Power plant down without incident but reports suggest minor damage to nearby houses.
The several months of planning and three weeks of site preparation paid dividends yesterday as the Melching demolition team laid a 200-foot former Sappi power plant on its side.
To the thrill of hundreds watching the event from around the site, the building demolition went off at approximately 10:40 a.m. without incident. There were no injuries reported and only a few incidents of minor damage to houses and a car, Muskegon Public Safety Director Jeff Lewis said.
“It was utter astonishment and excitement,” property owner Doug Melching said of the explosion that toppled the building. The blast was heard throughout the Muskegon area and reported as far away as West Olive, 25 miles south of Muskegon.
“It’s been a good day and thank heaven all is safe,” said Melching, owner of Melching Inc. – a West Michigan demolition company. The Melching demolition team brought down 3,000 tons of steel and concrete in the matter of seconds, reducing the plant from 200 feet high to a 60-foot pile of rubble, Melching said.
Read more here or view the video below:
