The city wants to demolish the 116-year-old building, calling it dangerous and unstable. However, some residents are still not on board, saying they believe people are still trapped inside — possibly alive.
During a search on Tuesday, some animals were rescued, but no human activity was found. City officials said finding anyone still in the building is their number one priority, but fear that at least two of the people might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search.
The three other missing residents are not believed to have been in the building when it started collapsing Sunday evening, said state Rep. Monica Kurth. Mayor Mike Matson confirmed at a news conference that not all the residents were accounted for.
Dozens of protesters have held their ground outside the apartment building, fighting to prevent the city from taking down the entire building right away for safety reasons.
One woman told NewsNation that her childhood friends’ clothes were hanging on the top floor, untouched, but her friend hasn’t been to work in two days.
Another man said he believes his father is also in the rubble.
“We’ve waited for answers, waited for anything to be honest. I don’t know, I just hope they find her and whoever else was in that building,” he said.
Built as a hotel, it had more recently been used as apartments, and tenants had been allowed to remain even as bricks began falling from the building.
After the partial collapse, the city had announced plans to begin demolishing the unstable remains of the structure as early as Tuesday morning, but they delayed after a woman was found Monday evening.
Officials now say immediate demolition was never intended, but they did want to quickly stage the site for the tear-down. The woman’s rescue prompted officials to see if they could safely enter and ensure others weren’t inside. But that is extremely difficult when the building could collapse at any time, they said.
Overnight, rescue crews searched the building for signs of life, but found nothing. And now, the city and the people of Davenport are trying to decide whether to demolish the building or keep it up, knowing that at any moment, it could collapse.
“This building is extremely volatile. This building does need to come down, and it needs to come down in a controlled manner. So we do not create any more damage or lives lost,” Davenport Fire Marshal Jim Morris said.
Morris said explosives will not be used on the building, which is near other structures and is “unstable and continues to worsen.” Removing the debris that is propping up the rest of the building could cause further collapse, he said.
But protesters have remained vigilant, demanding that the city provide the families of those missing the satisfaction of having their family members accounted for — dead or alive.
“This could be a place of rest for some of the unaccounted,” Matson said. The city is trying to determine how to bring down what remains of the building while maintaining the dignity of people who may have been killed, he said.
Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation activating assistance programs for the residents left homeless. After demolition was ordered, residents were prevented from going back inside for belongings due to the instability.
Those residents told NewsNation that they were heartbroken because their life’s possessions, pictures and everything they own is inside the building.
There will be an investigation into what caused the collapse but it is unclear whether a criminal investigation is warranted.
Davenport Hotel, L.L.C., owned by Andrew Wold, acquired the building in 2021 in a property deal worth $4.2 million, according to county records.
The city declared the building a nuisance in May 2022 “due to numerous solid waste violations” involving its overflowing dumpster, court records show.
Wold did not contest the nuisance declaration and inspectors noted similar problems 19 times between then and March 2023, records show. The city took civil enforcement action, and a judge ordered Wold to pay a $4,500 penalty after he did not appear in court.
Tuesday, the city filed a new enforcement action against Wold, saying that he had failed to maintain the property “in a safe, sanitary, and structurally sound condition” before the collapse. The city is seeking a $3,000 fine.
City inspectors reviewed the ongoing repairs three days before the collapse, records show. Plans called for replacing 100 feet of brick to comply with city code starting May 25, and an interior cinder block wall with rebar and grout was partially installed as of last week, according to online inspection and permitting notes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Davenport police officers form a line opposite protesters that are advocating for search efforts to continue, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, near the site of an apartment building that partially collapsed in Davenport, Iowa. A woman was rescued on Monday after calling her family and waving for help, according to multiple news reports. The building partially collapsed on Sunday. (Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via AP)
Children draw on the ground with chalk at the scene where an apartment building partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Police officers stand at the scene where an apartment building partially collapsed two days earlier, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
An apartment building that partially collapsed two days earlier is seen, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Clothing hanging in an apartment building that partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon can be seen Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building that partially collapsed remained unaccounted for Tuesday, and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
A sign is posted at the scene where an apartment building partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building that partially collapsed remained unaccounted for and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
People gather in the shade at the scene where an apartment building partially collapsed two days earlier, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
An apartment building that partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon can be seen Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building that partially collapsed remained unaccounted for Tuesday, and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
An apartment building that partially collapsed two days earlier can be seen Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for and authorities fear at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
An apartment building that partially collapsed two days earlier can be seen Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for and authorities fear at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
After asking a group of about 50 people gathered for a vigil to remain silent for five minutes in honor of the five people still unaccounted for, Raquel Sipp kneels with a candle at the scene of where an apartment building partially collapsed two days earlier, in Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Emergency crews work the scene of a partial apartment building collapse Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)
Officials gather on Harrison Street as emergency crews work the scene of a partial building collapse on the 300 block of Main Street, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)
Davenport Mayor Mike Matson gives an update to media, residents and onlookers after a partial building collapse on the 300 block of Main Street, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)
Emergency crews work the scene of a partial building collapse on the 300 block of Main Street, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)
Emergency crews work the scene of a partial building collapse on the 300 block of Main Street, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)
Emergency crews work the scene of a partial building collapse on the 300 block of Main Street, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)
Officials update to media, residents and onlookers after a partial building collapse on the 300 block of Main Street, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)
Emergency crews work the scene of a partial building collapse on the 300 block of Main Street, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)
Emergency crews work the scene of a partial building collapse on the 300 block of Main Street, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)
Davenport Fire Chief Carlsten and Mayor Mike Matson provide an updated on the \ building collapse during a news conference, Monday, May 29, 2023 in Davenport, Iowa. Carlsten said that it was unclear how many people, if any, were still missing after an apartment building in the eastern Iowa city collapsed. (City of Davenport via AP)
A yellow “official notice do not enter” sign hangs on a fence around The Davenport, 324 Main Street, after a partial building collapse, Monday, May 29, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. A section of the six-story building downtown apartment building collapsed Sunday. City officials have announced the building will be demolished starting Tuesday. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)
Rubble lies in a pile outside The Davenport on Main Street in Davenport, Iowa, on Monday, May 29, 2023. A section of the six-story downtown apartment building collapsed Sunday. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)