LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Crews are on the scene after an underground parking garage collapsed at Lakewood's Marine Towers West Apartments Thursday morning.
Mayor Meghan George told reporters the structure came down just before 10 a.m. At this time, it is unknown what caused the collapse. During a 5 p.m. press conference, Lakewood Fire Chief Tim Dunphy said that no criminal intent is believed to be involved and that the damage does not appear to have breached the apartment buildings. Officials do not believe anyone was inside when it did, although at least 24 vehicles were and have certainly been damaged.
"It's a fairly sizable collapse, it's a pancake collapse, so the second-floor deck collapsed onto the first-floor deck, and subsequently, sections of that also came down," said Murphy. "It's substantial."
The West Shore Rescue Team has been called to the location on the 12500 block of Edgewater Drive just in case, and the west apartments are also being evacuated for 24 hours as a precaution. However, George says it appears the building is safe.
"I felt the whole building shake," one person said of the moments following the collapse. "I felt the whole building move, almost as if it were an earthquake," another said.
"I wasn't expecting it to be what it ended up being," said one resident who spoke with 3News' Marisa Saenz.
This is a developing story and 3News has reporters in the area. Please stand by for updates as they become available.
More headlines:
- Traffic clears on I-480 west following crash in Garfield Heights
- Ohio sends 25 military reserve members to help at Cuyahoga County Jail amid COVID-19 surge
- Merck's COVID-19 pill may have far smaller role than initially predicted
- US unemployment claims unchanged at 205,000
- 3 keys to the Browns beating the Green Bay Packers
- Details developing: Ohio BCI called to scene in Akron
- To grandmother's house or no? Omicron disrupts holiday plans
- Holiday travel at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport: What you need to know before you fly