Construction atop Karmel Mall collapses

WHITTIER No one was reported injured in a partial collapse of new construction atop the Karmel Mall, a bustling immigrant shopping center located adjacent to the Midtown Greenway.

Witnesses described a loud rumble at about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday as wood framing on the two-story buildings roof collapsed, some of it falling onto the Pillsbury Avenue sidewalk below. Some of the addition fell onto power lines, and there were reports of power outages in the area at the time of the collapse.

Building owner Basim Sabri said the construction was for a third- and fourth-floor expansion of the mall, which houses dozens of businesses mainly owned by and catering to the Somali community. A framing crew was at the site up until about 11:30 p.m. the night before the collapse, Sabri said.

They shouldve secured the trusses at the end a little more, he said, adding that things fell like dominos in the wind.

He said Monday was the first major day of construction.

Fifth Precinct Commander Todd Loining said Sabri had the necessary permits in place for the work. Sabri has in the past initiated work on the buildings he owns in the area without first getting the required permits.

Loining said the older parts of the building did not appear to be damaged in the collapse. About two-dozen people were evacuated from the mall when first responders arrived on the scene, he said.

Hassan Mohamud, who works at a business that sells prepaid calling cards inside the mall, said he was smoking a cigarette outside the gated parking lot when the collapse occurred. It was a little windy at the time, Mohamud added.

I think its bad construction, he said. In my opinion, I think hes not going to the rule.

Raymond Hoffman, who lives across Pillsbury Avenue in the Park Square Condominiums, said he called recently elected Ward 10 City Council Member Lisa Bender to express his concerns about the quality of the construction prior to the collapse.

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Construction atop Karmel Mall collapses