911 Calls Released In Bethlehem Steel Building Collapse

SPARROWS POINT, Md. (WJZ) -- We're hearing the frantic calls for help from the old Bethlehem Steel site where part of a building collapsed on some workers Monday.

Derek Valcourt has those newly released 911 calls.

In all, nine workers were injured or trapped when the roof of the already half-demolished building at the old steel mill site came crashing down.

One of the workers who was not trapped frantically called for help.

"Baltimore County 911, what's the address of the emergency?" the dispatcher asked.

"I need someone at Sparrows Point. The RG Steel building. Hurry up, an ambulance. I need them out here ASAP 'cause the building's collapsed. Come on!" the caller said.

"Okay, what's the location?" the dispatcher asked.

"RG Steel. A building collapse. I need somebody out here in an ambulance. I got four or five guys injured. [inaudible] Right now," the caller said.

The Sparrows Point facility sits on a huge plot of land with several buildings. Dispatchers tried to sort out the multiple calls for help.

"We did get a call for RG Steel," the dispatcher said.

"Yes," the caller replied.

"Is that it? And what happened?" the dispatcher asked.

"The building collapsed that some workers were working in and my--the superintendent of the site--just called and said that they need multiple ambulance and they need fire trucks," the caller said.

Two of the nine victims have addresses in the same Essex neighborhood. They could not be reached for comment. The other victims are from out of state with addresses in Ohio, Georgia and Michigan.

The nine injured workers were part of a team of 13 working on asbestos removal that day. They were 40 feet in the air when the collapse occurred.

Demolition at the plant is being handled by MCM Management Corp., which released a statement saying it had initiated an investigation into the accident and is focused on the recovery of its nine workers.

Three of the workers remain hospitalized, one of them in critical condition.

Federal regulators are investigating the cause of the collapse.

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