CINCINNATI — A code enforcement case has been opened and inspections are underway after a balcony collapsed at a Corryville rental property Friday night, injuring 10 people, one of them critically.
The collapse happened at a condominium complex on Stetson Avenue, near the University of Cincinnati, during what neighbors described as a party. The Cincinnati Fire Department (CFD) said that the 8-foot by 12-foot wooden deck collapsed 20 feet to the ground below due to the weight of too many people.
First responders from the Cincinnati Police Department and CFD immediately notified the Department of Buildings and Inspections, which launched a comprehensive investigation involving the property owner, Hezekiel Eskender, the homeowners' association for the condo building, the original engineering firm and a forensic structural engineer, a city spokesperson told us.
An inspector with the Department of Buildings and Inspections found that one of the deck's main support beams had failed, according to Cincinnati's property maintenance code enforcement records.
Multiple new violations were documented Monday as the investigation expanded. We were there as crews inspected the damage Monday afternoon.
WATCH: Inspector finds critical flaw that led to balcony collapse
Sierra Goodfellow, a University of Cincinnati student who lives behind the unit, witnessed the party before the collapse.
"I just keep thinking about the beer pong table," Goodfellow said. "They were right there (on the ground below the deck). Then to see the grill on the ground and just remembering people manning the grill."
City officials issued immediate orders requiring Eskender and the homeowners' association to hire a structural engineer to examine all balconies in the complex. They must also secure and barricade all balcony doors to prevent use until the structural assessment is complete.
Eskender must also bring his sprinkler system, which was damaged in the balcony collapse, back to functionality and compliance.
The Department of Buildings & Inspections will reinspect the property to ensure compliance with these orders.
Although CFD initially stated that other apartments in the complex posed no risk, Goodfellow questioned the structural integrity of the remaining balconies.
"Part of my study, making things that are structural, they have to be able to hold people. And when I see something like that, that's not attached from the top or the bottom, you have to have very significant support beams, especially in the middle, and it doesn't have any of that," Goodfellow said.
Eskender did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking comment. CFD declined to provide additional information when we asked Monday.
