A block of Cartier St. downtown is still closed to traffic after an apartment building partially collapsed Thursday morning.
According to firefighters, residents of an apartment building called 9-1-1 at 5 a.m. because they heard strange noises and noticed new cracks in their walls.
Resident Amarilys Proulx said she it felt like a car had come through the building.
“So I went to see and the entire outside wall is completely cracked from the beginning of the apartment to the end, and she told me don't go in your bathroom because mine is falling down,” she said.
Eight residents were forced from their homes.
It turns out that construction workers had removed a supporting wall the day before, and the building shifted overnight, with portions dropping about 25 cm.
Firefighters said it appears the construction work through the tunnel, which leads to the building's courtyard, was not done correctly, and that when the wall was removed not enough was done to support the structure.
The Ville Marie borough sent inspectors and engineers to assess the damage.
Spokesperson Emilie Miskdjian said the building’s owner did not have a permit to do the work that was being done.
A scaffolding has been set up in a passageway that runs through the building, and there are bricks and other items on the ground.
The Red Cross is providing temporary shelter for the six families affected, and Cartier St. from Ontario St. to Sherbrooke St. is closed to traffic until an engineer from the city of Montreal certifies the building is safe.
A report detailing what work needs to be done on the building is expected to be ready by Friday.
