Former Dow headquarters collapses during demolition

The former global headquarters of The Dow Chemical Co. in Midland, Michigan, collapsed unexpectedly while a portion of it was being demolished, a report by mlive.com says. No one was injured from the collapse.

Three stories of a corner of the building collapsed on top of one another at around 8:15 a.m. May 24. Jerrod Erpelding, spokesperson for Dow, says in the report the collapsed was caused by a weakening in the structure as part of the demolition project. An emergency response team is currently on-site to ensure safety and job site management.

The Midland Fire Department sent two engines, a rescue truck and a battalion chief to the scene after receiving a call from Dow. The report says the department stayed at the site for 20 minutes to ensure everyone involved was safe and there were no hazards.

Dow had already completed necessary asbestos abatement procedures prior to demolition.

The report says the company completed construction of its new six-story, 184,000-square-foot Global Dow Center in July 2017.