A structure in Chicago has partially collapsed and as a result, a massive mountain of salt emerged from the wall and buried cars that were parked nearby.
A structure in Chicago has partially collapsed and as a result, a massive mountain of salt spilled out and buried several cars that were parked nearby.
The building is a storage facility for Morton Salt, a well known company whose roots date back to the late 1800’s. The incident happened on Tuesday after employees reportedly piled salt too high inside the building.
Because of the oversight, one of the walls collapsed from the increased pressure. Some of the huge salt pile poured out and onto the neighboring property, which just happens to be an Acura dealership. Emergency responders determined that all personnel from Morton are safe and so are employees from the car dealership.
The buried vehicles however did suffer some damage. Seven cars that had been scheduled for service were impacted, in addition to four autos that owned by the dealership.
The General Manager of McGrath Acura of Downtown Chicago remarked “I believe they are going to be total losses...because of the pressure and the weight of the salt, it's going to damage the tires and suspension systems on the cars.”
Building inspectors were on scene after the incident and cordoned off the collapsed wall. A structural engineer was also sent to the building to inspect the still-intact portion of the facility.