A wall of a popular diner has collapsed. Your first thought would probably be - was anyone in there? Is everyone okay? And, luckily, the answer to those questions is that people were saved by building code bureaucracy.
As reported by KRQE News, Albuquerque's beloved diner Lindy's Diner was shut down on Monday, April 20. After a thorough building inspection by code enforcement, severe structural concerns were highlighted. The owners had said that they were aware of the concerns, and were planning to raise funds to fix them. But, they said the inspection had caught them off guard.
The diner's co-owner, Dawn Vatoseow, explained that, "...that little [diner] on the corner has been carrying the load for a 100 year old building for a long time, and old buildings are very expensive." She added that "certainly the building needs work, and we have tried to get it done to the best of our ability. We just needed some help, and it wasn't coming fast enough."
Code enforcement more specifically stated that the issues were in the diner roof and the lateral supports around it.
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Then, the Diner Wall Collapsed
Well, it looks like the concerns were more severe than anyone could have ever imagined. That's because one of the diner's walls just... collapsed. Like it was made out of sawdust.
KRQE News reported that hundreds of bricks rained down onto the sidewalk below. Albuquerque police released surveillance footage showing the shocking incident, which showed the entire wall dropping as a truck was passing by.
Albuquerque Fire and Rescue reported that they got calls about the collapse just after noon local time. After they thoroughly inspected the area, they gave the all clear. Luckily, no one was injured or trapped in the debris or anything. The firefighters were able to clear and evacuate the attached buildings without any issues.
The city has started to process a debris removal permit. Once that's cleared, they'll first have to test the rubble for asbestos before removing it and testing the extent of the structural damage.
We're glad no one was injured, and hope this situation is resolved easily soon.
