Miami Condo Evacuated After Deadly Collapse

Rubble hangs from a partially collapsed building in Surfside north of Miami Beach, on June 24, 2021

Following the partial collapse of Champlain Towers South on June 24 in Surfside, the 10-story Crestview Towers Condominium, a few miles away, was ordered to be immediately evacuated after a building inspection revealed it was not safe for occupancy.

An inspection report from Jan. 11, 2021 was submitted to the city of North Miami Beach on Friday afternoon, concluding the building was unsafe due to electrical and structural issues.

The report was handed in one day after the city threatened to close down the 156-unit building for failing to hand in its recertification report.

The report detailed the condition of Crestview Towers, which was built in 1972, and revealed columns, beams, and other structures throughout the high rise were “showing distress.”

“Cracks and spalls found throughout. Moisture at balcony slabs, walls, and other structural features,” the report stated.

The collapse of the Champlain Towers resulted in a push from the city to review the certifications of condo buildings over five stories.

While the speedy evacuation may be a shock to outsiders, residents aren’t surprised the structure has been deemed unsafe. Harold Dauphin told CNN he understood the city’s decision to evacuate the building considering some of the necessary repairs he had observed.

“But if you do a walk around, you see some cracks in the walls and stuff like that they're supposedly fixing, trying to fix. But again, nobody knew, I didn’t know that the building was deemed unsafe since January,” he said.

“It makes no sense. Six months later, oh you know it wasn’t safe?”

The city will work with the Red Cross to help residents that have nowhere to stay following the evacuation. Miami-Dade’s homeless agency is expected to accommodate some of the residents at the Youth Fair complex grounds in a makeshift shelter.

The news of evacuating residents from Crestview Towers came ahead of the Saturday announcement from the Miami-Dade County mayor Daniella Levine Cava ordering the demolition of the remaining portion of the Champlain Towers South.

The decision was made following concerns about the approach of Hurricane Elsa, as well as fears that the unstable structure could endanger rescue workers and further disrupt the search for victims.

“The building poses a threat to public health and safety, and bringing it down as quickly as possible is critical to protect our community,” Levine Cava said.

The families of missing people were informed that the remainder of the building will be demolished early Sunday morning.

A total of 24 people have been confirmed dead following the partial collapse and 124 are unaccounted for.