3 injured in Aurora building collapse at site of previous incident

AURORA, Ill. - Scaffolding and part of a brick building's exterior wall collapsed into a roadway in downtown Aurora Wednesday evening, injuring three people and prompting road closures, officials said.

Partial building collapse

What we know:

Aurora police and firefighters responded to the 100 block of East Galena Boulevard at approximately 6:37 p.m. after scaffolding and part of a brick building's exterior wall collapsed into the roadway.

Initial dispatch reports indicated that vehicles were beneath the debris.

Officials said three people suffered minor injuries.

The building has a barbershop on the ground floor and residential units on the upper floors, which were vacant at the time of the collapse.

Firefighters responded to the scene and used a drone to check the building for anyone inside. Officials now consider the building a hazard to the public.

What caused the collapse?

What we don't know:

The cause of the collapse has yet to be determined.

City of Aurora engineers are on the scene assessing the building, which officials say is at least 100 years old.

Josh Alcaraz, director of property standards for the City of Aurora, said:

"From driving downtown, I didn’t see anything unusual. Sometimes, the actual structure gives out on older buildings. We can’t determine what gave out, if there was there water ponding, causing dead weight on there. We’re still assessing that issue."

Officials also plan to review downtown security camera footage to determine what the collapse looked like.

Previous incident

The backstory:

This is the same building that experienced a partial collapse in August 2025. Police responded to reports of bricks falling from the building at 104 E. Galena Blvd. onto sidewalks and roadways.

Residents of 102 and 104 E. Galena Blvd. were evacuated as a precaution, affecting 11 apartments and two businesses. The Red Cross and Victim Services assisted displaced residents.

By the following afternoon, a structural engineer had deemed the building safe, allowing occupants to return.

Scaffolding was later installed to protect the public while the building was being prepared for future rehabilitation work.

Downtown road closures

Dig deeper:

The intersection of Broadway and Galena Boulevard remains closed in all four directions.

Drivers should avoid the area and use an alternate route while crews remain on the scene.

Officials said updates will be provided as they become available.

AuroraNews