Front portion at Hillsboro Village dry cleaner collapses

A portion of the front of a dry cleaners in Hillsboro Village West collapsed Thursday afternoon, fire officials said.

No one was injured when a part of the wall, including an awning at Village Cleaners, fell to the ground at 2010 Acklen Ave., Nashville Fire Department spokesman Brian Haas said.

Emergency crews were dispatched at 12:17 p.m. to the business after someone called to report a portion of the building had collapsed.

Two employees were inside the building when the collapse occurred and were not hurt, officials said.

"I saw the glass cracking and started hearing a weird noise. I thought, that awning is fixing to come down," said Jenny Dobson, who said she was in the building with another co-worker when the collapse took place. "I ran away from the front counter toward the back of the cleaners, turned around and saw a big puff of smoke."

Dobson, who has worked at the business since 1992, said the collapse shook them both up.

"We are a busy dry cleaner. I'm so glad no customers were in the store," she said. "It could have been 10 times worse."

Crews with Piedmont Natural Gas arrived shortly afterward to make sure no gas lines had been damaged, Haas said.

The fire marshal, Haas said, is investigating the cause of the collapse.

Reach Natalie Neysa Alund at 615-259-8072. Follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.