Waterbury residents are expressing concerns about safety after a partial roof collapse of the old Bristol Babcock factory.
Richard Dowling, of Naugatuck, drives by the factory often and worries about the dangers of the building.
"If they're walking by the building, it's going to fall on them," Dowling said.
Dowling said that it is not uncommon for bricks to fall from the building.
The factory was gutted by a fire in 2015 and the recent loosening of bricks may have been caused by increased pressure from collapsed roofs and floors inside of the building, according to the Connecticut Department of Inspections.
"We have several buildings, several of these old factories, that haven't been occupied in 20 to 30 years," said Gil Graveline, the city's building official. "Once the roof goes, the whole structure gets rotted and it starts caving in on itself."
These abandoned factories have wood and timber floors that are susceptible to water, which causes them to rot over time, according to city officials.
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Mayor Neil O'Leary tells NBC Connecticut that he spoke with the owner on Wednesday. O'Leary says that the environmental assessment is done, the owner has reached out to a demolition company, and that all parties expect demolition during the spring, once the Department of Public Health signs off.
