City leaders confirmed Tuesday that roads will remain closed and at least 1,000 displaced residents will not be able to return home until a crane that partially collapsed high above midtown Atlanta is secured.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the announcement was made during a news conference held at Atlanta Fire Station 15 located on 10th Street.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was joined by fire Chief Rod Smith and police Chief Darin Schierbaum, The AJC’s Henri Hollis writes. Smith told reporters that fire crews are working with engineers to stabilize the crane after a mechanical failure, but they will remain in a “defensive posture” until it is dismantled.
On Monday afternoon, four people working on a high-rise apartment building were injured when the crane malfunctioned. Hollis writes that Smith said a counterweight on the crane “became dislodged and one of the four structures that attached it to the building fell away.”
The crane damaged part of a residential tower that was reportedly under construction. The four workers suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated at a nearby hospital.
The accident forced the evacuation of people within a one-block radius of the scene. That included residents of adjacent apartment and condo buildings. As of Monday night, residents were told it could be at least 48 hours before they could return to their homes.
>> Stay with 95.5 WSB for updates on this story and for traffic workarounds if you live and/or work in that area.