MARBLEHEAD — A Penske tractor-trailer struck a low-hanging Comcast wire early Thursday morning, tearing part of a building’s facade from 31 Atlantic Ave. and scattering bricks and debris across the roadway, authorities said.
The incident occurred at about 7:20 a.m. near the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Hawkes Street, according to Police Chief Dennis King.
“Upon arrival, it was clear that a tractor-trailer had hooked a wire from a building while backing up and took part of the facade down,” King said.
He added that there were no injuries and that the building was safe for the public.
Officials said the truck became entangled in a Comcast line attached to the building while backing up, pulling down a section of the exterior wall. Originally, a brick building that was modernized by putting siding over the top of the brick.
The damage exposed part of the structure, which houses Johnny Ray’s Music Emporium.
Johnny Ray, co-owner of the shop, said he arrived shortly after the incident and was relieved to find the interior largely undamaged.
“Inside was pristine, so I was so relieved,” Ray said. “It literally just took the facade off.”
Ray said the exterior damage appeared more severe than the structural impact, though repairs will be necessary.
“It looks bad, and it’s going to be some masonry work,” he said, adding that crews were expected to secure and cover the exposed area to prevent further damage.
Rich Messinger, co-owner of the music emporium, took a lighter view of the situation.
“Luckily, you can barely notice the damage,” he said with a laugh.
Fire Capt. Eric Ridge said incidents involving trucks striking overhead wires are not uncommon, though damage of this scale is unusual.
“The tractor-trailer pulled down a wire that was attached to the building…They don’t usually take down the side of a wall, but they take down wires all the time,” he said.
Ridge said it was unclear whether the truck exceeded height limits or if the wire was positioned too low.
Owner of the building, Vahe Haytayan, which houses the music emporium, Fringe Flora, Sweetwater Trading Company, and Java Sun, was not available for comment regarding the incident.
The disruption in Comcast services affected the businesses within the building. Owner of Fringe Flora, Addie Flynn, said that while her service was impacted, Comcast responded quickly and restored service by 2 p.m. Thursday.
Traffic in the area was temporarily disrupted as Marblehead police and fire crews secured the scene and cleared debris.
