An abandoned building at number 11 of Joan Pere Fontanella street, in Olot, suffered a partial collapse this Tuesday around 8:45 AM, which forced the street to be closed, residents of the opposite side to be preemptively evacuated, and its emergency demolition to be prepared.
The property had been boarded up for a month by the Ajuntament d'Olot after being occupied and, at the time of the incident, showed no signs of people being inside. Despite this, the subsequent technical review led to a broader decision, because the damage also affects number 9, which shares a facade and walls with the collapsed building.
The Firefighters ruled out victims and the city council ordered the demolition of numbers 9 and 11
Six fire crews from the Bombers were deployed to the location, who cordoned off the area and removed vehicles parked in the affected section. They also activated the drone unit and dogs from the Grup de Recerca Caní to check if there were people inside.
The inspection ruled out any presence inside the building. There were also no injuries or material damage to the adjacent properties, while the Mossos d'Esquadra, the SEM, and the Municipal Police of Olot were also operating in the area.
In parallel, the local police cut off traffic and preventively evacuated the residents of numbers 10, 12, and 14, located opposite the affected building. These residents will be temporarily relocated while the works last.
After reviewing the structure, the municipal architect confirmed that it will be necessary to demolish numbers 9 and 11 due to the extent of the damage and because they share structural elements. The demolition of number 11 will begin this Tuesday.
The Joan Pere Fontanella street will remain closed while services and accesses are reviewed
The next step will be to commission the demolition project of the adjacent building. The City Council will subsidiarily charge the property owner for the costs of the work.
While the intervention continues, the affected section of Joan Pere Fontanella street will remain closed to traffic. Nevertheless, residents will maintain access to the parking lots in the area.
In addition, the electric company reviewed the wiring to manage possible disruptions to the supply at this point in Olot, where the partial collapse was detected this Tuesday around 8:45 AM.