“He had the feeling that the neighboring building was moving”, in Toulouse, a new building threatening to collapse evacuated

When a trader raised the alarm this Sunday, December 22 late in the morning, he was worried. “He had the feeling that the neighboring building was moving. He also heard strange noises,” said the police.

The firefighters, put on alert at 12:35 p.m., sent building risk specialists to the site, at 39 rue des Lois. Professionals who, once inside this three-story building which appears to be undergoing work, noticed signs of weakness.

Twelve apartments banned

Members of the on-call team at the Toulouse population protection department, and technicians from a design office, came to study the problem. They confirmed the fragility of this building which accommodates twelve student apartments. The central staircase was deemed “at risk” with a possibility of collapse.

It was decided to prohibit access to the building. Barriers and tapes have been installed in front of the door. On the other hand, a security perimeter was not considered necessary. A danger order should be issued very quickly, this Monday morning, by the town hall.

“The twelve student accommodations, all of which were checked, were empty this Sunday. Probably because of the Christmas holidays,” said the police. On their return, the students concerned will find themselves in quite an embarrassment. One of them, Brice, met on site, was worried: “It looks new on the outside. Inside, it's less shiny. There have been support supports in the entrance for several month !”

It is of course too early to know what has weakened this building which has been the subject of work in recent months. In any case, the buildings at risk add up in Toulouse. Last week, on Saturday December 13, a building located on rue Denfert-Rochereau, also in the center of the Pink City, had to be evacuated after the discovery of the vulnerability of an apartment on the 1st floor, where a wall had been knocked down. .

Since March, and the collapse of a building on rue Saint-Rome, alerts and building closures have multiplied in Toulouse.