Downtown demolition temporarily shutdown amid fears of building collapse

When rescue crews arrived on the scene at the corner of Lakeview Avenue and Chase Street Tuesday afternoon, they believed they were dealing with a building collapse.

It was only after engineers and building inspectors could later confirm with the heads of the demolition company did it become clear that despite appearances, the precarious-looking balancing act going on between portions of the building was actually part of the plan to tear it down.

The incident began when a city official at the site began to question whether the demolition was going as planned or whether there had been a collapse of the structure.

Taking no chances, city staff ordered the site shut down, and called in emergency crews to close surrounding streets until it could be determined whether the building was at risk of falling into the roadway.

In the midst of the incident, city crews were told the incident started after members of the public called 9-1-1 reporting a building collapse. It later was learned the first call came from the city official on the scene.

Lakeview Avenue and Chase Street were temporarily closed until city building inspectors arrived and were able to talk with the heads of the demolition company.

Demolition officials assured the city that, despite appearances, the project was going as planned, and that there was no risk of any portions of the building falling into the street. Crews were allowed to resume work after a few hours.

As a precaution, the city ordered one lane of Lakeview Avenue and all of Chase Street between Lakeview Avenue and Okeechobee Boulevard to remain closed until the completion of the demolition.