Demolition began Tuesday evening on a historic East Carson Street building, a day after fire gutted the structure and left businesses and residents without a home.

The fire that tore through the four-story brick-façade building started about 3 p.m. Monday. Justin Lutheran, owner of J’s Master Barbershop on the first floor of the South Side building, was driving when he got a series of calls that each delivered worse news.

Happening NOW — Demolition crew knocking down fire-ravaged building along East Carson & 11th streets in #Pittsburgh’s South Side.

The demolition & debris removal is set to continue overnight, per Mayor @billpeduto’s office. @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/BVeifWjhiu

— Natasha Lindstrom (@NewsNatasha) February 10, 2021

At first, there was little panic, he said – smoke was coming from the upper floors, but the shop itself seemed OK, he said.

Soon, though, flames were shooting from the upper floors, and Lutheran said his manager, BJ, sent him a link to live helicopter footage of the blaze.

“I watched it for about 20 seconds, and then half the building fell,” he said. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

One side of the building collapsed around 4 p.m., something fire crews anticipated. Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Chief Darryl Jones said crews had initially tried attacking the flames from inside on the third floor but had to pull out because of the extent of the blaze.

Jones said crews knew the thousands of gallons of water – each weighing more than eight pounds, he said – would likely bring at least part of the building down. Most buildings just aren’t designed to withstand that, he said.

“If this happened on a Tuesday, I swear the story would be that those barbers put that fire out,” Lutheran said. “They did everything that building and community needed. If they were there, I tell you what, they would have put that fire out.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but what was clear was that the building had to be torn down before it came the rest of the way down on its own. Public Safety officials said the building was deemed unsound.

Lutheran said it would be too difficult for him to watch the building come down in person. He said the shop saved a lot of lives, including his, and gave people the opportunity to work and make a living.

He said he’s determined to rebuild, though where, when and how remain to be seen. In the meantime, he’s working to help his four barbers find work.

“Everybody had a part in that shop,” he said. “When I say it was bigger than a barbershop – that shop gave people the opportunity to become … great men, great fathers, great presences in the community.”

To give you an idea just how slow & tedious this type of demolition process is, here’s a 30-second time lapse spanning ~10 minutes in real time.

(I’d have captured longer timeframe but hands are getting cold ?)

Stay tuned to @TribLIVE / https://t.co/jGvlVNO4Ur for updates. pic.twitter.com/9fHF8chSzt

— Natasha Lindstrom (@NewsNatasha) February 10, 2021

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