A 48-unit condominium building in Waukesha, Wis., that was in imminent threat of collapse due to a rusted structural frame and columns has had its residents evacuated.
12月2日，沃克沙市认为，西大街315号的地平线西公寓大楼是不安全的。
65 residents were ordered to evacuate immediately from the building that was originally constructed in 1966.
McGuire Contractors, Inc., of Pewaukee, Wis., was called in to temporarily stabilize the six-story building with new steel bracing.
Steve McGuire, president, said his company provided lateral bracing for a column that had rusted. He said other columns also have deteriorated.
“The building is not safe to be in, even with the temporary bracing,” he said.
他将这些问题归因于防火。
他说：“水从混凝土阳台迁移，并被支撑阳台的结构钢周围的防火所吸收。”“防火的作用像海绵。在55年的结构钢中引入水使结构钢的生锈加速了。”
He said he was not sure how long the steel should have lasted, according to the original building specifications, “but it is longer than 55 years.”
In a news conference Friday, Fire Chief Steve Howard said the column that needed to be braced is on the side of the building and had two balconies attached to it at multiple points throughout its length.
Removing the balconies revealed that the bracing was insufficient.
他说：“与其在整个整个过程中都有支撑只能在顶部和底部进行支撑，这会导致它扣紧。”
他说，他的部门每年进行火灾检查，但不需要对城市建筑物进行年度结构检查。
他说：“除非有什么不对劲，看上去，这种类型的事情，否则我们不会要求进行工程报告。”“除非发现缺陷，否则我不需要进行结构检查。”
该市建筑部的代表不在会议上。
该市在其网站上的新闻稿中概述了与公寓协会与公寓协会互动的历史。
In June of 2020 the city received a complaint about the conditions of the balconies and ordered them not to be used by residents. It also ordered that structural issues with the balconies be remedied, and ordered the owner to conduct an engineering analysis and provide it to the city.
消防部门在2020年和2021年进行了其他检查，因为公寓协会试图聘请工程师和承包商来纠正大楼中的问题。
In September, the city ordered fencing installed around the building due to the worsening condition of the balconies and falling debris from the structure.
A month later, the condo association began removing the balconies, which revealed deficiencies of the structural frame of the building as well as the columns. Additional inspections by fire department, the city’s third-party, independent structural engineer, and the engineer for the building were done throughout November.
一位独立的结构工程师于11月30日完成的独立结构工程师的初步结构报告显示，建筑物的负载结构缺陷。
该城市监督了整个12月2日晚上的疏散。由于可能的倒塌区域，西大街323号和西大街307号的物业也被撤离。
Howard said the city’s decision to evacuate the building was not influenced by the collapse in June of a wing of Champlain Towers South, a 12-story condominium complex in Surfside, Fla. Ninety-eight people were killed in the collapse.
霍华德说：“两者都没有绑在一起，但是在您的脑海中，您当然会意识到这一悲剧。当结构工程师告诉您每个人都需要离开时，这是非常简单的，”他补充说。
Waukesha市管理员Kevin Lahner没有回复电话或电子邮件。霍华德周一说，他不会在当天在Horizon West上进一步评论。
