A neighbour has told of the moment a building collapsed into the street, saying 'I thought it was an earthquake'. Ottman Bouhsiss was watching TV with his wife when the derelict shop next door came crashing down.
Bricks and rubble were strewn across the road and pavement following the collapse in Radcliffe on Sunday night. Police and firefighters were called to the scene on Stand Lane in the town centre at about 9.40pm.
Ottman, 25, whose flat overlooks the shop, said: "I was watching a film with my wife. All of a sudden we heard a huge noise.
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"I thought it was earthquake. The building trembled, I looked at the lights in the ceiling to see if they were moving. I looked out of the window and saw the building had collapsed. Bits of of it were still wobbling."
Ottman, 25, called 999 and said and police and firefighters arrived at the scene in about five minutes and quickly cordoned off the road. He added: "It was lucky no-one was walking or driving past, because they would have been seriously injured.
"The bricks landed right across the road. Some almost hit our building. My wife was pretty scared. It happened right in front of us."
Other neighbours said the building, a former travel agents, had stood empty for several years while a fire in November 2021 had badly damaged the roof, leaving it exposed to the elements.
On Monday morning, an officer from Bury council's building control department said the cause of the collapse was not yet known. They added the building's owner had been contacted and work would now be carried out to make the scene safe.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire Service said: "Just before 10pm last night (Sunday, March 19), two fire engines from Whitefield and Bury central fire station were called to reports of a building collapse on Stand Lane, Radcliffe.
"Crews arrived quickly at scene. Firefighters used cordons and a thermal imaging camera to make the area safe. Firefighters were in attendance for around two and a half hours."
A spokesperson for GMP said: "At around 9:40pm last night, emergency services were called to reports of a building collapse on Stand Lane in Radcliffe.
"Emergency services attended the scene and secured the area to ensure the safety of the local community and a scene remains in place. No injuries were reported."
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