The upper floors of the privately owned, vacant building at 769-777 Park St. in Hartford collapsed over the weekend, spurring a flurry of city departments to begin demolition.  

The city will pay for demolition out of an emergency demolition fund and bill the property owner, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said in a statement. After the building collapse, families from seven buildings in the area were evacuated as a precaution and are currently staying in a hotel.  

The vacant building is over 100 years old according to city records, and after a fire in 2014, the city deemed it unsafe to live in. But it was not deemed structurally compromised at that time.   

Once demolition is complete, the area will be fenced off and an environmental assessment will be done to ensure the building is no longer hazardous.