GLENDALE, Wis. — Crews are now using large commercial units to melt snow to get to cars stuck in the rubble following the partial collapse of a parking garage at Bayshore Mall.
WATCH: Security footage captured the moment the parking structure at Bayshore Mall collapsed
(Video credit: Bayshore)
No injuries were reported Thursday after the structure collapsed. The third floor ended up on the first floor, crushing two cars.
The exact cause of the collapse is still not known, but North Shore Fire/Rescue noted the amount of heavy and wet snow from Wednesday's snowfall.
North Shore Fire/Rescue Chief Robert Whitaker said Friday that engineers put dozens of support beams in place to ensure the garage does not collapse further.
He also shared that the cars on the first floor were removed and that the property owner is working on a plan to get the other cars out.
WATCH: Chief Whitaker gives an update Friday afternoon
The property, located at 5631 N. Bayshore Drive, is owned by Bayshore Shopping Center Prop. Owner, LLC.
Chief Whitaker says state law does not mandate parking garages to be inspected by a fire marshall.
Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy says the City of Glendale's responsibility to inspect parking structures stops once it is built.
The City of Glendale released a press release Friday afternoon clarifying the city's role in permits and inspections.
"As a privately owned and operated parking structure, there are no annual or periodic inspections conducted by the City," the press release stated. "The responsibility for inspection, maintenance, and upkeep lies with the owner."
City officials say there are no records at the City of Glendale of any structural, building, or property maintenance complaints on the parking structure.
In a previously planned meeting with state lawmakers Friday, Mayor Kennedy told TMJ4's Julia Fello he would bring up the collapse and the lack of laws around parking garage inspections.
“I think one of the things that would be helpful is when the private inspections are done since its open to the public if the private inspection copies of them were submitted to the city so we have them on file," Mayor Kennedy said.
In the meantime, those who have their cars still parked inside are not allowed to get their items during the day Friday. Engineers are trying to safely take down six-foot by six-foot slabs of concrete still dangling so no one gets hurt.
According to Chief Whitaker, crews remain on the scene to clear out the rubble and due to a chance someone may be under the pile. However, once that is cleared, it is up to the property owner to determine the next steps.
We spoke to John Hird who says his SUV is trapped on the top floor. Hird says he was immediately concerned about the weight of the huge snow pile on the top floor.
“I saw them stacking it up right there and my first thought is that they're putting too much weight in one area and the next thing you know..." he said.
Hird is thankful no one was hurt. He parked his GMC Acadia just minutes before the collapse yesterday.
“I’m fortunate. I was a little shaken all day yesterday," he shared.
Hird is grateful his work is paying for a rental while he waits to get his SUV back.
“They're saying it could be a month, it could be two months," he said. "Obviously there's no ramp so I can't get down.”
We reached out to the owners of Bayshore to ask if they plan to demolish or fix the garage and when the last time it was inspected. They did not get back to us by the time of Friday’s 5 p.m. broadcast.
