JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A pane of glass was hanging from the Wells Fargo building in downtown Jacksonville on Monday afternoon. During the incident, Independent Drive was closed between Laura and Newnan streets.
The pane was dangling from the 20th floor of the building. However, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson Tom Francis said the pane was not a safety issue because the area was cleared so no one was walking underneath the pane.
JFRD Lt. Allen Mallard rappelled down the side to get to the 40-pound pane of glass. It was being held by caulking, but crews could not get to the window from the inside because the windows do not open from the inside. This is why they had to go over the top of the building to get the glass.
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"I had a harness built of two-inch webbing," Mallard said. "Our ropes weren't long enough to bring it to the ground, so the only thing we could do was attach ourselves to it and bring it back up."
Mallard had to act fast. According to the fire chief on scene, wind gusts could've carried that glass as far as three blocks. First, Mallard wrapped the glass in heavy-duty webbing.
"Then I put a canvas bag on top of that and I also had it between my feet to bring it up," Mallard said.
Less than an hour later, Mallard's job was over. But he said now it's time to train the rest of his team in case this ever happens again.
"They put us in all kinds of weird scenarios and you wonder why. Well, now you know why," Mallard said.