Miami-Dade apartment roof partially collapses weeks after Surfside condo tragedy
The Surfside collapse prompted emergency safety audits of buildings over 40 years old and five or more stories tall
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A chunk of rooftop crumbled off of a Northwest Miami-Dade apartment building in Florida on Thursday, four weeks to the day after a deadly high rise collapse in nearby Surfside.
The Surfside collapse prompted emergency safety audits of all buildings over 40 years old and five or more stories tall – including a North Miami Beach complex that was shut down and evacuated following an inspector’s report on its structural integrity.
Firefighters on the roof of a Northwest Miami-Dade apartment building roof collapse Thursday. (WSVN)
AIR QUALITY AROUND SURFSIDE CONDO COLLAPSE SITE BEING MONITORED FOR SAFETY OF WORK CREWS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The damage occurred at a building erected in 1972, but it is only three stories tall. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava went to the scene in person Thursday evening.
"All residents have been evacuated & @RedCross is assisting the families," she tweeted after meeting with first responders.
Aerial images broadcast by FOX affiliate WSVN show a large span of roofing tumbled off the side of the brick and concrete building. The roofing broke apart around 4:15 p.m., according to the station. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said there were not reported injuries and the occupants had been safely removed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"All I heard was a loud bang," resident Leila Perez told WSVN. "I went to go look for my dad, and I saw what happened. I was like ‘Wow.'"
About 32 people live in the building, according to the Miami Herald.
Property records obtained by the newspaper said revealed that unsafe structure violations prompted officials to order the building to be temporarily vacated in 2013. In 2014, tenants reported various issues, including mold and ceiling deterioration.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The structure eventually passed its 40-year recertification in 2015, roughly three years after the required date.
Officers and residents outside the Miami-Dade apartment building where part of the roof broke off and collapsed Thursday afternoon. (WSVN)
The Surfside death toll had risen to at least 97 as of Wednesday evening, four weeks after the Champlain Towers South apartment building partially collapsed in the early morning hours of June 24. Many of the victims were believed to be sleeping at the time.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At least one, the model Cassie Stratton, was on the phone with her husband when she said something was wrong and the line went silent.