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Report reveals potential threat to Harrisburg apartment building near wall collapse

HARRISBURG, Pa. — New developments in last year’s wall collapse in Harrisburg, raises concerns about the potential for another collapse. It’s ...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- New developments in last year's wall collapse in Harrisburg, raises concerns about the potential for another collapse.

It's a potential danger for people who walk or drive along Cameron Street near the Mulberry Street Bridge.

This comes less than a month after Dauphin County documents showed the owners of MacFarland apartments admitted to owning the retaining wall that fell on a business below.

This is a story that FOX 43 News has been following since May 2016, but for business owner Howard Henry, it's a story that has yet to have a happy ending.

Ever since a retaining wall came loose and sent a wall debris onto and into Howard Tire and Auto last May, the store has closed, the customers are gone, and a dozen employees are out of a job.

Attorney Mark Wendaur explains that a recent engineering study shows the aftermath might not be the end of the damage.

Attorney Mark Wendaur said "with Greg Lebo's report, he actually picked up on essentially the interior structure of Howard's building, and how any forces at that wall will essentially cause a ripple effect all the way out onto Cameron Street."

The engineering report questions the stability of the MacFarland Apartments perched on a hill above the auto shop and the pressure building up down below.

"That little HOTA Lee building back there, that adds to this melting pot of issues, if that thing comes loose, how is that going to upset the balance of all these buildings," Wendaur said.

It could potentially send a wall of bricks onto the street, hitting unsuspecting pedestrians, or crashing into drivers' windshields.

"Howard from the start said, 'hey guys, let's talk and figure something out.' That the extent of our talks is that’ok we'll secure the site with a fence. I think we need to do some grander talks than that, you know, what is exactly the way to fix this," Wendaur said.

Fifteen months after the wall collapse, and 10 months Howard Tire and Auto closed it's doors for safety reasons, there's still no resolution for business owner Howard Henry.

"The more information we find out, about essentially the problem, and how potentially severe it is, we hope that everyone will act a lot quicker than they have so far," Wendaur said.

FOX 43 News contacted an attorney for the owners of MacFarland Apartments for their reaction to the engineering report, but did not receive a response.

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