A stairwell deck gave way at a Jefferson County apartment complex on Saturday afternoon, sending one person to the hospital and trapping several residents inside their units until firefighters arrived with ladders. The collapse happened near the 1000 block of Villa Rica Court, where crews worked quickly to reach anyone cut off by the damaged structure.
Center Point Fire District crews responded around 2:45 p.m. to reports of the collapse, according to WBMA. One patient was transported to UAB Hospital and was listed in stable condition, the station reported.
With the stairwell no longer safe to use, firefighters turned to ladders to get several residents safely out of their apartments. It is not clear how many people were helped down this way, but the station's report describes multiple residents needing assistance to leave the building.
What Caused the Collapse Remains Unclear
The exact cause of the stairwell-deck failure has not been determined. The ABC 33/40 I-Team said it is working to learn more about what led to the collapse, per the same account, though no findings had been released as of Saturday.
No information about the identity of the injured resident, the name of the apartment complex, or its ownership has been made public. Jefferson County maintains an online ePermit system that allows property owners and contractors to apply for building permits, track application status, and schedule inspections through a 24/7 portal, according to the Jefferson County ePermit system, though no permit or inspection records tied to this specific property have surfaced.
Part of a Troubling Pattern Nationally
Structural failures at residential complexes have made headlines elsewhere in recent months. Near William & Mary in Virginia, a deck collapse injured 28 people, 13 of whom were transported by ambulance to hospitals, according to The Virginian-Pilot. In Orange County, Florida, nearly 400 residents were evacuated from The Rialto Apartments after officials raised concerns about the building's structural instability, as reported by FOX 35 Orlando.
Earlier this year, a partial apartment building collapse displaced 18 people, and city records showed the building had failed an inspection back in 2020, according to WKYT. Whether similar inspection or maintenance issues played any role in the Villa Rica Court collapse has not been established, and investigators have not released any findings connecting the Jefferson County incident to those cases.
For now, the scope of damage at the Villa Rica Court complex and the condition of the displaced residents beyond the one hospitalized patient remain unknown. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
