A three-storey building in the centre of Bray partially collapsed on Monday, spreading debris on to the street.
The building collapse occurred on Quinsboro Road in the Co Wicklow town early on Monday morning and two units of Bray fire brigade were quickly on the scene.
The area was cordoned off and a number of homes on the street were evacuated.
The cause of the collapse is at present unknown.
Sinn Féin TD Johnny Brady said it was a "miracle" that nobody was injured.
“The area is cordoned off now by the emergency services and the buildings have been evacuated. A lot of residents now on the street,” he tweeted.
Cherry Jhou, the manager of the Show Hair Salon which is next door to the building, said falling masonry damaged the sign for her hairdressers.
She said it is unlikely it will be open for the forseeable future because Wicklow County Council engineers will need to assess the partially collapsed building and the ones adjacent to it.
Maciek Dudcznko, who lives next door to the building collapse with his mother Anna, compared the sound of the masonry falling to an earthquake.
He said there are a dozen families like his own who have been left temporarily homeless as a result of the building collapse and have yet to be accommodated .
His mother got up early to close the windows when she heard the noise which also woke him up.
“I heard a loud cracking and everything falling down. When I opened the window, there was a cloud of rubble. It was very frightening,” he said.
Mr Dudcznko and his mother have lived on the street for 10 years.
