Building Collapses In Downtown Sioux Falls

4:55 p.m.:   The family of the woman rescued from the building collapse is saying thank you for the support and prayers from the community.

22-year-old Emily Fodness' family released the following statement: 

“We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for our daughter, Emily, and our family. We are thankful that Emily is in good condition and ask for privacy at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the other individual affected in this accident and their family, along with the emergency men and women who worked diligently to make sure Emily was safe.”
-Mike and Chris Fodness

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1:30 p.m.: The 22-year-old woman trapped in the rubble has been rescued from the debris.

Authorities say she is conscious, but has some leg injuries. 

Her dog, Nova, was rescued from the building minutes earlier.

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1:10 p.m.: Sioux Falls Fire Rescue was able to get a dog out of the rubble more than two hours after the building collapsed. 

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12:55 p.m.: In an update as of 12:50 p.m., Regan Smith with Sioux Falls Emergency Management says crews are “talking to female occupant and close to reaching her. Hopefully will have some good news soon.”

Right now, the focus is on rescuing the two people believed to be trapped in the debris so they haven't looked into what caused the collapse.    

“The building was under construction. We know there wasn’t an explosion,” Smith said.  
Additional equipment is being brought in to help clear the rubble.  

"When you have a structural collapse like that, there’s a lot of big concrete and steel pieces," Loren McManus with Sioux Falls Police said.

10th Street and Phillips Avenue remain closed to traffic.  The public is asked avoid downtown while rescue efforts continue.

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12:20 p.m.: Sioux Falls emergency crews are working to rescue a woman trapped following a building collapse in downtown. 

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue Chief Jim Sideras says crews have been in contact with her by phone.  

"She doesn't know where she's at. She doesn't know if she's upside down or right side up. She's disoriented because of her fall," Sideras said.

Authorities believe there is also a construction worker trapped in the debris.  Crews do know where he is at and are working carefully to clear the area to rescue him.  

Sideras says firefighters are custom-designed chainsaws to cut without shifting the building.  

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Published at 10:44 a.m.: Part of a building in downtown Sioux Falls collapsed Friday morning, trapping at least two people.

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It happened around 10:30 a.m. near the corner of East 10th Street and South Phillips Avenue.  

Part of the Eastwold Smoke Shop building, which formerly housed the Copper Lounge, fell down into the street and parking lot.  

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue responded quickly to look for anyone who might be trapped.  Chief Jim Sideras says two people were inside.  Crews have made contact with one of the people; she happened to be talking with her mom at the time.  

Workers will now try to stabilize the building and get to the people who are inside. 

KELOLAND News has a crew on the scene; look for updates as we get more information.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
A word was omitted in a prior version of this story

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