A man has died after being rushed to hospital with critical injuries following a house collapse this afternoon in Barrie's south end.
Shortly after 2 p.m., a city police spokesperson confirmed the man, described as "elderly," had died from his injuries suffered in the collapse.
"Our officers at the scene will be assisted by our Forensic Identification Unit along with detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division in order to determine what exactly happened," Barrie police communications co-ordinator Jennett Mays told BarrieToday.
"It would appear that the house was not occupied or being lived in at the time of the collapse," she added.
Emergency crews responded to a 911 call for a building collapse at 429 Yonge St., near Little Avenue, during the noon hour on Saturday.
"At this point, we are aware of one person who was trapped," Barrie Fire Chief Cory Mainprize told BarrieToday at the scene. "Crews extricated one individual and now they are conducting secondary searches to make sure there's nobody left in the structure."
The fire chief said crews had to remove a section of the roof to gain access to the inside of the structure.
"We were able to extricate the person through the collapsed roof area," Mainprize said. "Judging by the access hole they cut, it appeared to be in the middle of the building."
Emergency crews believe the man was the only person involved, but they were searching through the rubble to confirm no one else was trapped.
At the scene, Mainprize said firefighters were checking to make sure everyone had been accounted for.
"Obviously, what is still left is quite unstable," said the chief. "We're cutting some access holes to confirm visual access to all of the collapsed areas and make sure there are no other individuals trapped. ... The areas that they're working in have been deemed to be safe.
"There will be some heavy machinery brought in at some point, certainly to remove the roof structure that has collapsed onto the main floor," Mainprize added.
Neighbours told BarrieToday that the man owned several properties along Yonge Street and had been working on the home at 429 Yonge St., where the collapse occurred. They said he lived in the house nearby, at 435 Yonge St.
“I was outside in my garage and heard a crash," MacLaren Avenue resident Prince Williams told BarrieToday. "I knew it was a structure that crashed. Right away, I thought 'I hope it’s not that gentleman.' That was my first thought.
"I’m really praying that he’s OK," Williams added prior to the man's death being confirmed. "He's a nice gentleman."
Another neighbour, who asked that their name not be used, said they had warned the man the work he was doing on the home was dangerous.
A large red dumpster was situated at the front of the property and there appeared to be some construction fencing around the site, but it's unclear exactly what was taking place when the house collapsed.
"It does appear that there were some form of renovations (happening) or construction in progress," Mainprize said. "I'm not sure of the extent at this time."
The property will be turned over to the city's building department for further investigation.
Barrie police closed Yonge Street between Little Avenue and Big Bay Point Road for their investigation. It remains unclear how long the road closure will be in place. Police say updates will be provided on social media.
