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Building unstable after roof collapse on Broadway in Aurora

Southbound traffic on Broadway Avenue south of downtown Aurora was expected to reopen about noon Friday as crews installed a fence around the site of a collapsed roof that had blocked part of the road.

The roof of a former train depot at Broadway and Washington street collapsed about 9 p.m. Thursday, authorities said, possibly from a combination of water saturation and wind.

Inspectors determined portions of the building appear unstable, city spokesman Dan Ferrelli said. Southbound traffic on Broadway was closed Friday morning between Benton Street and North Avenue, but northbound traffic was able to get by in one lane.

Workers are installing a fence around the former train depot to ensure public safety, and the building’s owners have applied for a demolition permit, which Ferrelli said the city plans to expedite.

No one was injured in the roof collapse.

Other streets that remain closed in Aurora include Orchard Road between Galena Boulevard and Prairie Street; the eastbound ramp to I-88 at Diehl Road; Farnsworth Avenue between Sheffer Road and Mountain Street; Eola Road between Barrington Drive and Keating Drive; Hankes Road between Galena Boulevard and Blackberry Ridge Drive; 75th Street between Ogden Avenue and Route 59 and Shoreline Drive at Frontenac Street.

As residents clean up from the flooding, the city will offer free pickup next week of carpet, drywall and furniture damaged by the storm. The damaged material must be at the curb before 6 a.m. on a resident’s usual garbage pickup day.

No flood-related injuries were reported in Aurora, although the police and fire departments handled about 480 calls between midnight Wednesday and 12:30 p.m. Thursday. Aurora’s customer service center took 650 weather-related calls as of 3 p.m. Thursday, and about 200 of them were reporting water in basements from flooding or sewer backups.

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