PITTSBURGH — From the front, 134 45th Street looks normal, but on the side, there is a gaping hole revealing the family’s personal belongings still inside, along with mounds of bricks piled next to the house.
PHOTOS: House partially collapses in Lawrenceville
The cause of the damage is unclear. The homeowner, too upset to appear on camera, expressed gratitude that his wife and young son were not home at the time. However, he is concerned because his pet turtles are still trapped inside, along with all their possessions.
Even the homeowner doesn’t know what caused the wall to come crashing down, but he mentioned that his neighbors called for help on Thursday evening when they heard rumblings.
“When it crashed, they said it sounded like thunder—a really loud noise,” said Russell Ruffolo, who lives across the street. He noted that everything appeared normal just the day before the collapse.
“I didn’t expect anything was wrong; I usually don’t pay much attention to the house because it normally just looks like a brick wall. However, when I stepped outside last night, I noticed a gaping hole in it,” Ruffolo said.
The Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections (PLI) confirmed that they were called out to a partial collapse at 133 45th Street around 9 PM on Thursday. The house was occupied at the time, but fortunately, no one was injured.
PLI will continue to monitor the condition of the structure. While Ruffolo believes this is an isolated incident, he emphasized the importance of safety. “I did go check my basement,” Ruffolo added.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
