Building Collapse Collapse collapsed building Structural collapse Failure Failures

Building partially collapsed twice within 8 days in Welland, Canada

*Welland collapsed condo (Drone photo by Bobby Dzz Twitter)*

A five-story, 226-unit condo suffered partial collapse twice within 8 days. More specifically, the initial collapse took place on February the 18^th and a second one followed almost a week later, on February 26.

Welland’s chief building official, Jack Tosta, stated after the initial collapse that "At this time, the extent of the damage appears to be concentrated in the south position of the building involving the four floor slabs supported on the east exterior and interior load-bearing walls”.

An investigation has started but the reasons which led to the collapse have not been specified yet.

Following the initial collapse, the City restricted access to the construction site, while after the second incident, the restricted area was expanded.

It is worth mentioning that both failures occurred in the south part of the building, while the rest remained intact.

Inspection was carried out on the structure’s foundation, and it was later stated that they were found to be “on solid ground”.

Finally, the construction site’s cleanup has started, and a demolition permit has been issued aiming “to eliminate overhead safety hazards as specified in the Safe Working Procedure”.