LAKEWOOD, Ohio – Structural engineers and firefighters investigate the collapse of a two-story underground parking lot at an apartment complex on Edgewater Drive.
Lakewood Police and Fire Department responded to 12540 Edgewater Drive in Marine Towers West to a report of an underground garage attached to the collapsed building.
Residents of Marine Towers West, which is the adjacent building next to the collapsed garage, have been asked to leave their residences for at least 24 hours while authorities investigate the collapse.
The exact number of displaced residents remains to be determined as some were at work, authorities said.
Photo courtesy of a resident of a neighboring building.
Lakewood Fire Chief Tim Dunphy said based on video of the parking garage entrance, no one was in the garage when the collapse occurred. No injuries are to be deplored for the moment.
There were vehicles inside the garage. The exact number is yet to be determined, Dunphy said.
Watch an update from Dunphy in the media player below:
A fire official speaking after a parking lot collapsed on Edgewater Drive in Lakewood.
“Fairly large collapse of what we call a pancake collapse. The upper deck collapsed onto the first floor deck and after that sections of the first floor collapsed,” he said.
Witnesses say they heard a loud boom and then felt everything shake. The garage is located between Marine Towers West and Marine Towers East.
A video taken by a resident of the East Tower shows the damage caused by the collapse.
Emergency crews at the scene of a collapsed parking lot on Edgewater Drive in Lakewood
A woman who lives in the building adjacent to the collapsed parking lot said it looked like an earthquake.
“I looked out the window and saw everyone running around and hearing people saying 911 so I ran,” she said.
Another resident who spoke to News 5 said he was visiting his parents in Akron a day earlier.
“Glad to be alive. It felt like a huge gust of wind. Like an explosion of air. I knew something had happened,” he said.
For a resident, at first, this was not thought of as it is usually very windy on the upper floors of the Marine West Tower.
“It was kind of like an earthquake. I didn’t think about it because it’s very windy. I actually learned from a friend who sent me a story online and a photo of it. So I thought I’d better go investigate, “he said.
Scott Noll | Cleveland News 5.
A Google map shows the underground parking lot with a grass covered roof.
The Red Cross meets with displaced residents at a local school.
Scott Noll | Cleveland News 5
According to county records, the building was constructed in the early 1960s and consists of 171 apartments. The fire chief said structural engineers would determine whether the building is safe for the residents to return, but it could take at least 24 hours.
The city has set up a telephone line for residents who have been displaced. Residents can call 1-866-647-1306 for more information regarding the collapse and evacuation.
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