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Contractors Trapped After West Baltimore Rowhome Collapses

BALTIMORE (WJZ)--Two men are trapped when a floor in a Baltimore rowhouse collapses.

City firefighters were called to the scene at Lafayette and Carey.

Pat Warren has more.

The men were contractors working on what appears to have been a renovation of the corner building.

The race to rescue a contractor buried in debris on the first floor of a west Baltimore rowhome started shortly before noon. Firefighters learned two people had been trapped when one of the floors in the building collapsed.

One person was able to make it out on foot.

"He was transferred to an area hospital, we don't know the extent of his injuries at the moment," said Samuel Johnson, Baltimore Fire Department.

Getting the second man out had firefighters building supports on the scene to shore up the area and prevent further collapse.

Neighbors were caught up in the drama.

"I had seen the helicopter up in the sky and was sitting there and I said I know something gotta be wrong," Yvette Warsaw said.

At the point of rescue you could hear neighbors cheering.

"He has since been removed from the location, we don't exactly know the extent of his injuries either," said Johnson. "They say that they were contractors working inside the location. We don't exactly know what floor they were on inside of the location, if they were on the floor that collapsed or if the floor above them collapsed on top of them."

These old properties are a neighborhood concern.

"Matter of fact, next door to where I live at, the whole back side, the whole back side of the house is gone," said Blunt Tilghman.

A city building inspector was called to determine the condition of the house, and posted a condemned notice.

The names of the two men who were in the house when the floor collapsed have not been released.

The cause of the collapse is yet to be determined.

Both men were conscious and communicating when they were transported. As yet, no word on the extent of their injuries.

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