Residents of a waterfront high-rise about five miles from the partially collapsed condo in Surfside, Florida, were ordered to evacuate Friday over structural concerns.
North Miami Beach Building Department officials said that the 156-unit Crestview Towers is structurally and electrically unsafe, and ordered residents to leave as a “precautionary measure” — following last week’s nearby disaster that left 22 people confirmed dead and 126 still missing.
The city manager of North Miami Beach ordered an audit on Tuesday of buildings older than 40 years to make sure they adhered to local recertification mandates in the wake of the catastrophe.
A review found that Crestview Towers was not in compliance and inspectors found structural deficiencies in the building, which went up in 1972, nine years prior to the Champlain Towers South.
“In an abundance of warning, the Town ordered the development closed right away and the citizens evacuated for his or her coverage, whilst a complete structural overview is performed and subsequent steps are decided,” Town Supervisor Arthur H. Sorey III said.
The Red Cross was working with officials to shelter residents.
With AP wires