Iowa building collapse: Officials plan demolition

A six-story apartment building that partially collapsed over the weekend in Iowa is scheduled to be demolished, officials said after at least nine people were pulled from the damaged structure.

More than a dozen people were initially evacuated and later eight rescued when a building collapsed in Davenport, eastern Iowa, on Sunday afternoon, the city’s Fire Chief Michael Carlston said at a news conference Monday.

One person was taken to the hospital, but Chief Carlston did not know the person’s condition. No other injuries were reported.

At the news conference, Chief Carlston said authorities were not aware of anyone else being held in the building, but another woman was rescued Monday night, according to local news media reports. No casualties occurred.

The woman, who was rescued on Monday night, was hiding under a bed in a part of the building. According to NBC News.

Firefighters and emergency medical personnel rushed into the building, which has 84 residential and commercial units, saving lives, Mayor Mike Madsen said Monday.

Firefighters found a large natural gas leak and a water leak in the building, but the cause of the collapse was not immediately known, Chief Carlston said.

The city’s director of development and neighborhood services, Rich Oswald, said work was underway on the building’s exterior at the time of the collapse, and there were reports of bricks falling from the building earlier this week.

“As the current structure is in imminent danger of collapse, the need to demolish this building stems from our desire to maintain as much safety as possible for the surrounding area,” said Mr. Oswald said. The timing of the planned demolition is unclear, however The Quad City Times reported That could start as soon as Tuesday.

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Officials were scheduled to provide an update on the collapse Tuesday morning.

Aaron Aguilar, 37, was at the scene of Monday’s collapse with his 3-year-old daughter. He said he was once a maintenance worker in the building where he also lived. He said the building lost part of its roof during a damaging storm in Iowa in 2020, and residents in the area had to be evacuated. He said the area that collapsed on Sunday was only part of the building.

John Beragin Davenport, Iowa, and Derrick Bryson Taylor From London.

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