Wall crumbles on downtown building

Bricks falling to the ground off the back wall of the former Gambles building in downtown Aurora prompted city official to issue a caution warning to local residents.
Sometime during the early morning or overnight hours Thursday a significant portion of the back corner of the north wall came apart, causing bricks and wall materials to fall to the ground. The damage, which was discovered around 7:30 a.m. by a neighboring property owner, exposed both the ground floor and second story rooms to the open air, with a large pile of brick and debris piled up at the base of the building.
“The police department has gone around and notified the adjacent property owners and they’ve taped off areas to make sure that we’re keeping the public safe from any danger,” said Rick Melcher, Aurora city administrator. “We’re already communicating with other people to follow the process for what may be determined as a dangerous building.”
Police Chief Paul Graham confirmed that initial steps have been taken to insure public safety. A barricade has been set up in the alley to prevent through traffic.
“I notified the property owners on both sides to let them know to use caution,” Graham said. “It’s basically in the city’s hands right now on getting ahold of an engineer.”
The large two-story building, which has stood vacant for many years, is owned by Stan Valasek. 
Further details will be reported as they become available.