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Demolition of a building in downtown Miami has been paused after a video shows construction crews nudged a hulking piece of concrete and rebar falling to the sidewalk below on Sunday.
The massive piece of building smashed through the wood intended to protect the sidewalk from possible falling debris, sending wood and scaffolding flying across the street near 700 Brickell Ave.
Video of the incident shows bystanders screaming as a construction worker operating a crane slowly dislodges the debris from the building, sending the concrete off balance and falling to the street below.
The city of Miami responded to a post showing the video on Instagram, saying an emergency meeting was scheduled yesterday with the building’s owners and the demolition crew.
“We immediately deployed Building Inspectors to the site, red-tagged the site and stopped all demolition activities,” the city wrote. “Demolition activities will not be allowed to resume until we fully understand what transpired, what safety measures were overlooked that led to the incident and what policies, site conditions, and activities will be amended to ensure this does not occur again.”
It added that police would remain on the scene until the red tag was removed and said it expects an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Swire Properties and Related are working on erecting the tallest commercial building in the state of Florida, according to the website Florida YIMBY. The building is slated to become a 1,000-foot, super-tall structure.
The city’s Building Services department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the emergency meeting and whether the red tag is still in place.
“Anyone walking under that could have potentially been very, very injured. It could’ve been fatal,” Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez told CBS News.
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