West End home was on verge of collapse

Firefighters secure structure after illegal demolition goes wrong

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An illegal home demolition in the West End went seriously wrong last week.

Long Beach firefighters secured a California Street bungalow last Friday that was on the verge of collapsing — and potentially injuring passersby and falling onto a next-door home — after a contractor attempted to raze the structure, which was damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Long Beach Fire Chief Rich Corbett, who led the operation, said the incident occurred at 3:28 p.m., when city building inspectors in the field reported that a home at 30 California St. was about to collapse. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered the house leaning “dangerously” toward other homes — particularly 32 California St., occupied by an elderly woman who had just returned home after being displaced by Sandy.

The home at 30 California St., which was vacant, was completely gutted and in the process of being town down illegally, since the contractor did not obtain any permits for the work, Corbett said. “It was a bungalow, and there were three guys dropped off by a construction company who were told to tear the house town by hand,” said Corbett.

Additionally, there was no dumpster on site to collect construction debris and the water, gas and electrical lines were still connected. “They tore out the interior of the house, leaving just the north and south wall and the roof,” Corbett said. “Due to the weight of the roof, the house started shifting north. We actually called in tactical rescue teams from South Shore fire departments, and we secured the house from collapsing onto number 32 [California Street]. It was a pretty big job.”

Corbett said that approximately 75 firefighters from Long Beach and surrounding communities responded to the scene, and wooden beams were used to hold the structure in place until the city demolished the home, citing an imminent danger to the public. After four hours, the structure was secured and a backhoe was brought to the scene to finish the demolition work.

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