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WATCH: Failed partial implosion of Pontiac Silverdome

Posted at 8:23 AM, Dec 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-03 09:31:45-05

PONTIAC, Mich. —  Partial demolition of the former home of the Detroit Lions was suppoed to begin Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m.

You can watch it live here.

WJBK in Detroit is now reported that the partial implosion failed after the initial blast.

According to WJBK, Sunday was supposed to be the end of era in Metro Detroit as the Silverdome demolition got underway, but the old building wouldn’t budge.

At 8:30 a.m., the first charge went off. There was supposed to be a secondary blast to bring down the beams, but the beams are still standing.

A city spokesperson told FOX 2 that “what they were told to happen, did not happen”. The same spokesperson later said that the cutting blasts did not go off and if they can make those connections, the rest of the implosion will still happen on Sunday.

Crews were to partially implode the mechanical equipment platform at the top of the 400,000 square foot building.

The first the blast was supposed to break the metal beams supporting the upper ring of the dome, which is a 20-foot steel band that held up the equipment used to inflate the roof. Then, each vertical beam surrounding the Silverdome will be broken when a small charge detonates, causing the steel ring to fall to the ground.

Crews will use hydraulic excavators to take care of the rest of the structure in sections.

A total of 1,800 tons of rebar and 1,700 tons of structural steel will be recycled at the city’s Ferrous Processing plant.

The process is expected to take about a year to complete.

The weather for Sunday is looking favorable for demoltion, but if it has to be rescheduled it will be pushed back one week.

The Silverdome property sits on 127 acres and was last used as home of the Detroit Lions in 2001. It once hosted the Super Bowl, the Pistons, WrestleMania III, the World Cup and Pope John Paul II’s visit.