Rescue operations underway after an apartment building partially collapsed in Davenport, Iowa

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Rescue operations were underway Sunday night after part of an apartment building collapsed in the eastern Iowa city of Davenport. Authorities have not said if anyone was killed.

Authorities said people were treated for injuries at the scene, but did not detail how many.

Rescuers were called to the scene shortly before 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Fire crews rescued seven people and escorted more than a dozen others out of the building in their initial response, Davenport Fire Chief Michael Carlsten said at a news conference.

Carlsten said the rear of the six-story apartment complex collapsed and separated from the building, which houses apartments on the upper floors and businesses on the ground floor.

Authorities found a gas leak after the collapse, Carlsten said, while water had also seeped through the floors of the structure.

First responders were still looking for missing people on Sunday. The building’s stability was a concern after secondary collapses while rescuers were on the scene, Carlsten said.

“Our focus is rescue right now,” Davenport Mayor Mike Matson said at a news conference.

“This is an active scene. We will continue to work, we will continue to test, for the sole purpose of trying to find people and trying to get them out,” Matson said, adding that he spoke with Gov. Kim Reynolds, who offered assistance.

The Davenport Police Department asked people to avoid downtown after the collapse.

A reunification area set up at St. Anthony Church on Main Street was being staffed by Red Cross personnel, Carlsten said.

The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.

Rich Oswald, director of neighborhood services and development for the city of Davenport, told a news conference that work was underway on the exterior of the building at the time of the collapse.

Reports of brick falling from the building earlier this week were part of that work and the building’s owner had a permit for the project, Oswald said.

The Quad-City Times reported that Robert Robinson, a second-floor resident, left and returned when alarms went off in the building.

“As we started to go back, the lights went out,” he told the newspaper. “Suddenly, everyone started running saying that the building had collapsed. I’m glad we got off when we did.”

Robinson and his girlfriend were able to get down in the elevator just in time, he said.

“This is horrible,” he said. “We have nowhere to go. Nothing to eat.”

Tadd Machovec, a Davenport contractor, told the newspaper he was inside putting up a support beam when the building collapsed.

Some people in the area said the building has had problems. City officials said Sunday they had several complaints from residents about the needed repairs.

Jennifer Smith, co-owner of Fourth Street Nutrition, said her husband, who works for Mid-American Energy, found out about the explosion.

“He was on duty and they called him because of the explosion of a building in the center. We had no idea it was our building,” he said. “Sounds bad, but we have been calling the city and making complaints since December. Our bathroom collapsed in December.”

Smith said the water damage has been evident since they moved into their space in the winter. Company co-owner Deonte Mack said fire crews were at the building Thursday for an inspection.

“The tenants told us that the building was going to collapse,” Smith said.

The Quad-City Times reported that the building is owned by Andrew Wold. A work phone number for Wold was not immediately available Sunday night and attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.

According to the county assessor’s office, nearly 20 permits were filed in 2022 for building repairs, mostly for plumbing or electrical issues.