Videos posted on Facebook of the controlled demolition of the highest section of the former Appvion paper mill in Roaring Spring on Friday caused alarm among individuals who didn’t realize the collapse wasn’t an accident.

“Oh, my goodness they were working. Did anybody get hurt,” one poster commented on a video that focused on the structure for about 40 seconds before showing the collapse, followed by the spreading of a thick cloud of beige dust. “I bet the guy in that track hoe (visible in the video) went home to change his drawers,” stated another. “Wow! God was with that guy!” stated yet another poster.

Others on the comment thread posted that it was a controlled demolition, with one pointing out that the operator of the track hoe triggered the collapse by pulling a chain or cable attached to at least one of the corner posts of the building, whose center columns had been cut away, as could be seen because all the lower sheathing was gone.

The video shows the track hoe operator reaching out its bucket, then clawing it back while simultaneously backing the machine, as the near column on the left gives way and the building collapses leftward in a heap.

Immediately after that, there was celebratory honking from observers standing in the parking lot above the site along Main Street, as well as a whoop of appreciation for the spectacle.

Officials at the borough office contacted soon afterward weren’t yet aware of what had happened — or if it had been an accident.

Borough Council President and Friendship Fire Company No. 1 Chief Jim Musselman confirmed, however, that the collapse had been engineered deliberately.

“It was a controlled drop,” he said.

The demolition crew had done controlled drops with other parts of the complex, “but this section was the largest,” Musselman said.

The mill closed in 2021, after which there was an attempt to find a buyer who would reuse the building. When that effort failed, demolition work began in early 2023. At that time, there was talk of creating a recreational complex on the site — an idea that seems to have been abandoned. The demolition work was paused during an ownership transition in late 2024 and early 2025, but it has been proceeding apace in recent times.

“They’re trying to get it down as quickly and safely as possible,” Musselman said. “They need it down and cleaned up to do something with it.”

There are reportedly parties interested in investing in the property, according to Musselman.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.