RALEIGH, N.C. – Three people were killed and one was seriously injured Monday morning when scaffolding collapsed at a building on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh.
The incident happened at approximately 10:58 a.m., and the Raleigh Fire Department was on scene by 11 a.m., officials said.
The building, located at 501 Fayetteville St., is part of the Charter Square project. The building is an 11-story, $54 million project being built by Choate Construction.
Yellow police tape could be seen surrounding the area of Lenoir and Fayetteville Streets and dozens of emergency personnel responded to the scene.
Authorities pushed construction workers back a few blocks from the building and many were visibly shaken.
A shattered window with a section of scaffolding sticking out of it, approximately five or six floors up from ground level, could be seen from the street. Scaffolding also fell in a nearby parking lot and the sidewalk surrounding the building.
Wake County EMS district chief Jeff Hammerstein confirmed that the scaffolding on the sidewalk and in the nearby parking lot is the same scaffolding involved in the incident.
Authorities are still not sure what happened to cause the scaffolding to collapse.
“We have no preliminary information on where [the victims] were or what they were doing…it’s entirely too early to say exactly what happened,” Hammerstein said.
Officials said that aside from the three fatalities, one person was seriously injured and transported to WakeMed in serious condition, but no one on the ground or in other parts of the building were injured.
Although officials said it’s too early to know what happened, they have confirmed that the collapse is being looked at as an accident and not a crime.
“It does not appear that that is anything other than a terrible accident,” said Maj. Clem Perry of the Raleigh Police Department.
The victims have not been publicly identified and it’s not clear if authorities know their identities yet.
“Right now one of our biggest priorities is to make positive identification [of the victims] and be extremely respectful of the families and get the information out [to them] quickly.”
The City of Raleigh Fire Department, Raleigh police, Wake County Emergency Medical Services, City-County Bureau of Identification, OSHA, and North Carolina Department of Labor are all currently on scene.
Choate Construction released a statement that read:
“At approximately 11 a.m. this morning, a serious incident involving a mast climber scaffold occurred on the Charter Square project in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. At this time, details as to the cause of the accident are not known.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries suffered during this incident. Our first and primary concern is for these personnel and their families. We request your thoughts and prayers at this time.
A full investigation as to the cause of the accident has begun. We will provide updates as they become available.”
A number of subcontractors are involved with the Charter Square project, but Choate is the head contractor. They were cited for violations just once in North Carolina, in 2014, for a flammable and combustible liquids violation at 5440 Wade Park Blvd. in Raleigh.
They were reprimanded for a violation of the OSHA safety code that states “at least one portable fire extinguisher having a rating of not less than 20-B units shall be located not less than 25 feet, nor more than 75 feet, from any flammable liquid storage area located outside.”
The 500 block of Fayetteville Street has been a hub of activity as downtown Raleigh continues to grow.
