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- West Virginia pizza shop is imploded following asbestos removal
A holiday weekend implosion in Wheeling, West Virginia, took down the remains of the former
DiCarlo's Pizza Shop after asbestos removal had slowed the demolition in recent months.
According to The
Intelligencer, the project ended up taking longer than expected - more than three months - because asbestos was discovered on the roof by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
Asbestos exposure is linked to diseases that include
lung cancer,
mesothelioma and
asbestosis, and is the focus of many
asbestos settlements and
mesothelioma lawsuits that have been filed in recent years.
Once the asbestos was removed, workers were able to resume demolishing the top two floors manually in order not to damage the business next door, Companion Products Company Home Improvements.
The implosion of the bottom three floors took place on Sunday, one day before the Fourth of July holiday. Gerard Joseph of Joseph Contracting told the newspaper that the original lighted sign of the pizza place was returned to the
DiCarlo family.
Although no re-development plans for the site have been announced publicly, Joseph said a parking lot is one of the options being considered.