ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The old furniture factory that went up in flames is now coming down.

Friday morning, a demolition went underway in Allentown. The century-old building on Front Street that caught fire Wednesday night is being torn down, after it not only turned into a massive blaze, but also wrecked several houses across the street.

“I think there’s like, disbelief at the magnitude of this fire,” Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said. “It was a huge, I mean, everybody I’ve talked to said this is the biggest fire that they’ve ever seen in the city and probably the region.”

Tuerk joined a few onlookers Friday morning to say goodbye.

“I’m out for my morning run,” he said. “I wanted to come down and see the scene and check in on our firefighters and check in on our folks.”

One person tells 69 News he worked in the building in the 80s, and he associates the place with meeting his wife. Now, he said, it feels like those memories are falling with the building.

“There are a range of emotions that people are feeling,” Tuerk said. “Principally, more than anything else, it’s compassion for the families who were directly affected by this.”

From the bricks to the charred sign in front, officials say everything is coming down, with safety standards in place.

“We’re making sure any public safety with standing walls, with unsecured walls is dealt with so we can bring the building down safely,” Assistant Fire Chief Jon Steed said.

Crews shut Riverside Drive down to protect drivers from any falling debris.

Meanwhile, power has been restored to most of the nearly 3,500 PPL customers who lost it the night of the fire.

The Red Cross says, so far, it’s helped 26 people across nine units.

Tuerk says after one household was just opened back up to its residents, six homes across from the old factory are still unlivable.

“The other six properties are tagged and are going to be unoccupiable for a while, but we’re making progress already,” he said. “The fact that our team was able to knock down this enormous fire and protect more homes from being affected was absolutely incredible.”

Mayor Tuerk says due to the magnitude of the space and fire, the investigation will take some time, so he asks for patience and to stay on the correct side of the tape.

Officials say the demolition itself could take the rest of Friday, if not a little longer.