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Part Of Midtown Parking Garage Collapses

Deck Built By Same Company Fined For Botanical Garden Bridge Collapse

POSTED: 12:45 pm EDT June 29, 2009
UPDATED: 6:32 pm EDT June 29, 2009

The parking garage which partially collapsed on Monday was built by the same company that was recently fined by OSHA for the collapse of a pedestrian walkway at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, CBS Atlanta confirmed Monday.

Firefighters said the fourth floor of the Cyntergy Parking garage on Abercrombie Place between Spring and Williams streets collapsed to the basement.

Atlanta firefighter Bobby Stewart told reporters that there were no immediate reports of any injuries. He said about 50 firefighters are at the scene, waiting until they determine if the structure was safe to enter.

Video from CBS Atlanta's Sky Eye showed cars piled on top of one another inside the parking deck. Officials expected dozens more cars were buried underneath the rubble. The parking deck is close to a book store and gym frequented by students from nearby Georgia Tech.

People who had parked in the deck peeked through a chain-link fence trying to get a glimpse of their cars as firefighters inspected the structure. Employees from a nearby lounge handed out water as temperatures climbed to near 90 degrees.

The parking deck is a standalone structure that connects to an office building through a pedestrian walkway, which was not damaged.

"It sounded like the building was being demolished," said Shawn Dodson, who was eating lunch in his car on the far side of the building. "I ran around, saw a hole and thought the building was collapsing."

The deck was built by Hardin Construction, the same contractor that was fined by OSHA earlier this month in connection with the collapse of a pedestrian bridge at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in December 2008. Hardin was cited for one violation and could face a $6,300 penalty.

Georgia Tech released a statement on the collapse Monday afternoon: "Earlier today, there was a partial collapse of the parking deck behind the Centergy Building in Technology Square. Though the facility is not on the Georgia Tech campus, approximately 135 spaces within the deck are leased to Tech employees through the Georgia Tech parking office.

There are no reported injuries at this point in time. The Atlanta Fire Department is on the scene, and is busy stabilizing the structure prior to conducting a thorough interior assessment. Georgia Tech has advised Institute employees who do park in the affected structure that alternate transportation will be needed until city inspectors declare that it will be safe to remove their vehicles."

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