Wind breaks downtown windows, closes road
Posted May 17, 2012 7:11 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A busy downtown road remained closed through the morning rush Thursday after windows on a high-rise were destroyed during high winds Wednesday night.
Fifth Avenue S.W. between 6th and 7th Streets was closed just after 6:00 p.m. Wednesday when ropes from a window washing swing stage smashed through a number of windows on an office building.
“When they were done they parked it at the bottom of the building … so they can continue where they left off the next day.” explains District Chief Lee Cheshire. “The cords were actually the power cords that provide power to the swing stage that lift it up.”
The closure didn’t just affect traffic and workers in the building, it also blocked off access to about 600 parking spaces below the McDougall Centre.
Crews didn’t start work on replacing the broken windows until shortly after 6:00 a.m. as elevator service in the building was turned off overnight.
