Christopher R Brown Obituary, Death;- The individual who perished in a building collapse in St. Marys on Thursday has been identified.
Christopher R. Brown, aged 41, from St. Marys, has been confirmed as the victim of the collapse by the Auglaize County Coroner’s Office on Friday.
As reported earlier by News Center 7, another man who was trapped in the debris was rescued by first responders and transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m. in the 300 block of Spring Street. St. Marys Fire Chief Doug Ayers stated that the collapse took place in what he believes to be one of the oldest structures in the city.
The search for Brown had to be temporarily halted when conditions became hazardous for the fire department. Subsequently, specialized teams were summoned to resume the search. Brown’s remains were retrieved from the debris at around 4:12 p.m. News Center 7 inquired with Ayers regarding the activities of the two men in or around the building.
He mentioned that his unverified report indicated they were requested by the building owner to reinforce the first floor, which was beginning to sag, and that the collapse occurred while they were engaged in this task. News Center 7 uncovered that there had been prior concerns regarding the building that collapsed.
“The tattoo company vacated the premises due to the wall bowing and the floor. They had already expressed worries about some structural problems,” Ayers stated. News Center 7 also spoke with Todd Klosterman, the building owner.
“We encountered a foundation issue, and we relocated the occupants. We were in the process of addressing that problem,” Klosterman explained.
He noted that the two men were friends of his and were working to prepare the building for repairs by a contractor. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is also conducting an investigation into the collapse.
