A window of a building at Chicago and Wabash avenues was blown out by high winds on Oct. 19, 2011, prompting officials to close off nearby streets to pedestrian traffic. (Credit: CBS)
Don't Miss This
CHICAGO (STMW) – Streets by a Near North Side high-rise were closed to pedestrian traffic Wednesday afternoon after glass from at least one window was blown out due to heavy winds.
And police say scaffolding from a building later fell from a West Loop building onto a parked car.
The glass fell from a 12th-floor window in a building north of East Chicago Avenue on North Wabash Avenue about 12:45 p.m., Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford said. The sidewalk was closed right away and crews were sent out to block the west side of the street.
Fire crews were also sent to check on signs which were blowing from a business on the North Side, Langford said.
No injuries were reported but police closed sidewalks between Wabash and Pearson on Chicago, News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala said.
It’s unclear whether vehicular traffic was being rerouted, he said.
About 6 p.m., a part of scaffolding on a buliding in the 600 block of West Washington Boulevard fell onto a parked car, police said. It’s unclear whether anyone was injured.
A high wind watch is in effect Wednesday through Thursday morning near Lake Michigan. Winds quickly increased Wednesday afternoon with strong and potentially damaging winds likely through Wednesday night. Winds will reach 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph likely, the National Weather Service said.
The very strong winds could result in minor wind damage, downed tree limbs and power lines. High-rise buildings near the lake will experience even stronger winds just a couple of hundred feet above ground, the weather service said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
