City moves quickly after unsafe Fort Dodge building sheds large section of facade

FORT DODGE, Iowa —

Residents in Fort Dodge were jolted on Saturday when part of a century-old downtown building suddenly collapsed , sending bricks crashing to the street and forcing city officials to move quickly after the structure had already been flagged as unsafe last month.

Jamie Blundy, who lives across the street, described the terrifying moment.

"My boyfriend and I were just hanging out in the living room watching TV, and out of nowhere, I heard this huge crash," she said. "It was so loud, it shook the entire house. I was shaking for hours after."

Blundy initially thought the noise might have been a bomb, but managed to call 911. She remains haunted by the thought of what could have been a tragedy.

"The entire upper part of the facade of the building had all fallen, and it