AUSTIN, Texas — A man is dead after a house under construction collapsed in south Austin due to high winds Thursday afternoon.
Officials with Travis County ESD 5 said that responders received a 911 call around 4:20 p.m. Thursday asking for medical assistance. Crews arrived to the scene at 12002 Salvador St. about five minutes later and found a house had collapsed.
Four men working construction were inside the structure when it collapsed; two managed to get out, with the other two trapped inside.
Travis County ESD 5 says that the entire house collapsed, including the second floor. One of the trapped workers was conscious, breathing and pinned beneath the framework of the house. The other was pronounced dead at the scene.
Crews managed to stabilize the house, get it lifted and save one of the trapped workers. Officials say that crews waited to retrieve the body of the man killed due to the weather.
ALSO | McCallum High School pleas for fans on Thursday after experiencing A/C issues
The man who died at the scene was identified as a man in his 30s.
The man who was rescued was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center by STAR Flight with potentially serious injuries, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. His current condition is unknown at this time.
Once the weather passed, a structural engineer helped lift the house again to retrieve the body.
Officials say that the workers were framing the house, and that the structure did not have the supports it needed to withstand the high winds. Travis County ESD 5 reported that a neighbor living next door to the collapsed building said that the winds “were so intense the trees were blowing sideways,” and that she had heard a loud boom at the time of collapse.
Officials say that the area had experienced 50 to 70 mph straight line winds. Radar from the time of the 911 call shows one very small storm right over the neighborhood where the home collapsed.
No severe thunderstorm warning was issued; CBS Austin Meteorologist Avery Tomasco says that the storm developed only minutes before it began producing strong microburst wind gusts.
Travis County ESD 5 says there is a criminal investigation into the incident, as well as an investigation by OSHA. OSHA says that they are investigating the incident and “has up to six months to complete that process.”
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office says that, at this point in the investigation, there is “no indication” of foul play.