House collapses in Grays Ferry

A house collapsed in Grays Ferry early Saturday and one person was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, authorities said.

A Fire Department dispatcher said the 911 call about the collapse came in at about 7:40 a.m. for a house on the 1400 block of Patton Street.

The dispatcher did not know the condition of the person taken to the hospital. CBS3 reported that it was a 39-year-old man.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation.

A rapid-response team of inspectors from the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections went to the two-story property at 1401 Patton Street, at the corner of Reed.

Karen Guss, an L&I spokeswoman, said the building, which had a store on the first floor and a residence on the second, had no L&I violations.

She said the inspectors were on site to assess the building and make sure the area was safe for neighbors.

Guss said a contractor will clean up the area and secure the site.

Jackie Thompson, a PECO spokeswoman, said PECO responded to the collapse before 8 this morning because of the police-fire call of "someone trapped in the collapsed building."

The PECO worker went out to make sure the area was safe in case there were downed wires or other dangers, she said.

PECO will also restore electricity to one or two customers who live near the collapsed building who lost electricity because of the collapse, she said.

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