Milwaukee garage floor collapses; city orders engineering report
Working to fix Milwaukee garage floor after collapse
A parking garage collapse at a Milwaukee apartment building sent two vehicles through the floor on Wednesday, prompting an investigation and temporary closure of the garage.
MILWAUKEE - Work is underway to repair damage after a parking garage floor collapsed at an apartment building on Milwaukee’s East Side, sending a driver and two parked cars through the structure.
What we know:
The collapse happened around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, near Knapp Street and Astor Street as a driver was pulling into the garage at the Empire Building, which is owned by Katz Properties. Officials said an SUV and another parked vehicle fell through the garage floor into the level below.
Mark Salentine, general manager of Ray’s Towing, said his crew was among the first to arrive to assess the situation and recover the vehicles.
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"First one to arrive at the scene to look it over and see what needed to be done," said Salentine, general manager of Ray’s Towing. "The garage had two cars in it at the time an SUV and another car went through."
Salentine said one of the vehicles was occupied at the time of the collapse.
"Basically, without the supports, they fell through the basement. There was somebody occupying one of the cars at the time," he said.
The driver was not injured.
What they're saying:
Residents of the Empire Building said the collapse left them shaken.
"It's really crazy. Could’ve been your car. What if you were parked in that spot? Could’ve been your car," said Aidan Leith, who rents at the building.
The cause of the collapse remains under investigation. The Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services said the damage was not caused by the driver or the vehicles involved.
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A pipe connected to the building’s heating system was broken during the collapse, temporarily cutting heat to all units for several hours, according to the department.
"Kind of the best way to sum it up [is] that really, a floor of a garage, gave weight and it was over a basement," Salentine said.
Dig deeper:
The Department of Neighborhood Services said it has ordered the property owner to obtain an engineering report. Until that review is complete, the garage will remain closed, though residents are allowed to stay in the building.
"It can be very surreal in the worst way," Leith said. "You just never know."
Katz Properties did not respond to a request for comment.
Milwaukee garage floor collapses beneath parked cars; no injuries
A driver escaped injury after a garage floor collapsed inside a Milwaukee apartment building on the city’s Lower East Side, causing two vehicles to fall into a sinkhole Wednesday night, Jan. 7.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.