Cause of Building’s Partial Collapse Not Yet Determined
By • June 12, 2013 0 814
The Thanksgiving Day partial collapse of the back wall and interior of 1424 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., remains unexplained as experts from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs investigated the scene. The adjacent stores at 1422 and 1426 were also effected by the collapse. No one was in the closed stores at the time.
At first, onlookers believed the Nov. 24 afternoon incident was an explosion because of the blown-out windows and a gas odor from leaking pipes. After D.C. Fire and EMS waited for Washington Gas to turn off the gas, firefighters searched and secured the buildings. There had been neither an explosion nor a fire.
Major, the sneaker and clothes shop at 1426 Wisconsin Ave., remains closed “until further notice.” The old Commander Salamander at 1420 was already vacant. As for the property in question – at 1424 Wisconsin Ave. – it had been talked about as the future site for a new Z Burger outlet. Recent renovation work at the property – now condemned – hints at a possible cause of the collapse, but the large debris needs to be removed for closer inspection.
