House Falls On House Update

A follow-up now to a story we brought you last night. A contractor working for the city of Evansville was demolishing an abandoned house on governor street when he accidentally caused the top of a 40-foot chimney to fall on a house at 403 Adams. A man was inside caring for three of his grandchildren while their mother was in the hospital, but nobody got hurt. A spokesperson for the city says the repair work will be finished by Monday or Tuesday. In the meantime, the contractor will pay the grandfather 40 dollars a day to care for the kids. The spokesperson says every contractor the city uses is licensed and specifically qualified for demolition. THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO... AND, NO DOUBT, A SETTLEMENT TO PAY. A CONTRACTOR WORKING TO DEMOLISH AN ABANDONED BUILDING FOR THE CITY ACCIDENTALLY DID A LITTLE DEMOLITION WORK ON THE WRONG HOUSE. ROWLAND SPARKS WAS AT HIS DAUGHTERS HOUSE AT 403 ADAMS ... WATCHING THREE OF HIS GRANDCHILDREN FOR HIS DAUGHTER...BECAUSE SHE IS IN THE HOSPITAL. HE HAD JUST CLOSED THE WINDOWS BECAUSE OF ALL THE DUST DRIFTING IN FROM WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WHAT SPARKS HEARD THE WAS THE SOUND OF THE CHIMNEY FROM THE HOUSE ACROSS THE ALLEY ON GOVERNOR STREET FALLING THROUGH THE ROOF OF HIS DAUGHTERS HOUSE. THE OPERATOR OF A FRONT END LOADER FOR A COMPANY CALLED J.L. CRANE, WHO WAS DOING THE DEMOLITION FOR THE CITY, ACCIDENTALLY TOPPLED THE CHIMNEY ACROSS THAT ALLEY AND INTO THE HOUSE ON ADAMS STREET. LUCKILY THOUGH, NO LIVES WERE SHATTERED. NO ONE GOT HURT, BUT ALL THE DAMAGE AND DUST MEANS THEYLL HAVE TO SLEEP ELSEWHERE TONIGHT. REPRESENTATIVES OF EVANSVILLES DEPARTMENT OF METROPOLITAN DEVELOPMENT AND CODE ENFORCEMENT WERE ON THE SCENE, BUT THEY WERENT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT.