GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Part of a downtown Guntersville building collapsed early Friday morning, prompting the closure of a stretch of southbound US 431.
Guntersville Police Chief Ryan Darnell says the collapse happened between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m. Friday in what was formerly the Marshall County Legislative Building. The second floor of the building reportedly fell into the first floor.
Police said the affected area included the Tennessee River Veterans Memorial Bridge. Traffic was diverted onto Lurleen B. Wallace Drive, then to Sunset Drive and Ala. Hwy. 69 (Henry Street) while crews tended to the scene.
The façade of the building was strewn across the 400 block of Gunter Ave. No one was hurt and it was not immediately clear what caused the collapse.
The nearby courthouse opened on a 2-hour delay because of the incident.
The building, located at 412 Gunter Road, is set along a stretch of closely packed structures. The Urban Tribe Surf and Social shop and Old Town Stock House restaurant are immediately to one side of the building, sharing space in the two-story structure.
We asked Marshall County Legislative Office officials if there had been previous safety concerns about the building prior to their vacating, but they said they were unable to comment.