Crane collapses, damages roof of North Miami Beach condo building

Residents forced out of homes after crane slides off barge

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. ā€“ A crane being used for seawall repair slid off a barge and struck the roof of a nearby condominium building in North Miami Beach, the safety manager of the construction project told Local 10 News.

The incident happened Sunday night at the Eden Isles condominiums on Northeast 169th Street.

A view from Sky 10 showed the top of the crane resting against the damaged roof of the building, which sits along a canal off the Intracoastal Waterway.

"It's serious for us," Shoreline Foundation Inc. safety manager Efrain D'AleccioĀ said. "We are very concerned about this and we are going to take the precautions and that's why we're here."

D'Aleccio told Local 10 News reporter Madeleine Wright that workers are in the process of replacing a deteriorating seawall and wooden dock. He said the barge on which the crane was resting took on water, causing the crane to slide off and hit the roof of the four-story condo building.

No injuries were reported, but a number of residents are not allowed back inside their homes because of the damage.

Arthur Smith said he was in bed watching television when he heard "a loud crunching sound."

Smith lives in one of the eight units that areĀ now off-limits while structural engineers assess the safety of the building.

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating.

"We've been working with Cliff Berry (Inc.) and they've deployed about 800 feet of absorbent and hard boom, making sure all the actual pollution and the oil doesn't spread from the canal right now," Lt. Iia Carter said.

D'AleccioĀ suspects there is a hole in the barge, causing it to sink.

"Our effort now is (to) release the building from the stress it has and make (sure) that everything is safe," he said.

Smith and his wife are staying with their son-in-law nearby until they can return to their home.

"It's a little inconvenientĀ but, you know, it's -- you're alive, you know," Smith said. "So, we're blessed."

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