FREELAND -- People who live near the 700 block of Centre Street in Freeland in Luzerne County woke up to a building falling apart.
"I was like, 'Oh, my God.' How did that even happen?" asked Liza Robles.
"I heard, like, a swish and then like everything hit the ground and my neighbor, we all came outside and I couldn't believe what I saw," added Diane Scintilla.
It happened around 4:30 a.m. Thursday.
The building used to be a laundromat but Freeland police say it has been vacant.
"The buildings up here are just sitting here vacant for the last couple years. Nobody does anything to them if you look at the construction," said Freeland resident David Purcell.
Liza Robles owns the property next door to the damaged building.
"It's sad to see something like that falling apart, something that, honestly, if the homeowner would take the time to put money into it and fix it, it wouldn't be like that."
The owner of the building will be given some time to repair it, but until then, a portion of Centre Street will be closed.
Freeland police tell Newswatch 16 that if the building is not repaired, the whole front side of it is likely to fall off.
The owner will have three days to start fixing the problem and 30 days to complete the work.
The borough's solicitor says the owner is already starting work on the property.
However, if that work is not completed, the borough will take action and demolish the building.
Robles and many other people who live along this street want to see the building fixed to help keep the street nice for everyone to enjoy.
"Why are you going to let a nice old building be destroyed from the inside out? There is multiple issues with it and it should be fixed," said Robles.
The borough didn't give an exact amount of time how long the street might be closed.