On Wednesday morning Mount Airy Fire Marshal Chris Fallaw said that work at the historic Main Oak Building had resumed. The past 36 hours have been a flurry of dust, debris, and a little disbelief that the building that has been downtown for more than a century gave way.

During the morning hours of Wednesday much of the removal of debris was being done by hand, Fallaw said it would have been “too tedious” to try and use heavier equipment. Before lunchtime though, the heavy equipment was back in use bringing down small chunks of the exterior wall that had made the front façade of the Main Oak Building.