WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — Emergency crews were on the scene Sunday morning of an apparent partial collapse of the U.S. Post Office building in downtown Winchester.

The Winchester Fire Battalion Chief tells LEX 18 that people were inside at the time of the collapse but thankfully were not in the the collapse zone.

The chief said a smooth evacuation followed and that the rest of building is structurally sound.

Employees were allowed to return to the safe parts of building.

It was not immediately clear what caused the damage or whether heavy rains throughout the region figured into the collapse.

“We live right across the street from the Post Office,” said nearby resident Jo Stanfield. “We heard a loud noise, so we thought someone had an accident. Then we looked out the window and saw all the debris.”

Check back with LEX18.com for more on this developing story.