Davenport Mayor Mike Matson. (City of Davenport photo)
Davenport’s Fire Chief says one more person was rescued from the rubble of the apartment building that collapsed Sunday evening.
Chief Mark Carlsten held a briefing this morning, and says that person was taken to the hospital, but he did not have a condition report. He says there is some good news. “I have no confirmed deaths at all at this time,” Carlsten says.
There were seven people who were rescued from the building shortly after firefighters arrived on the scene Sunday. There were some injuries, but no information on them has been released. Carlsten says they believe there were 84 apartments in the building — and are still working to determine if there are any who are still unaccounted. They have brought in specialized dogs who are searching the rubble.
Mayor Mike Matson credited the quick response with saving people. “A lot of people were escorted out, assisted by our wonderful first responders, immediately,” he says. Matson says the first responders entered the building knowing it was unstable without thinking about their own safety so they could help others. “Because of that, they saved lives. They saved the lives,” Matson says. He says they are hoping and praying that the search efforts will wrap up without anyone ending up dead.
There are a lot of questions about the safety of the building and what may’ve caused the collapse. The mayor and fire chief say it is too early to determine that and they will know more once they are sure there is no one left in the building.