DAVENPORT, Iowa — Rescue operations continued throughout the night, with one victim pulled alive from the rubble of the Davenport apartment building that partially collapsed Sunday evening.
At a 7 a.m. press conference at the Davenport Police Department, Davenport fire chief Mike Carlsten said they were able to locate one victim and extract them from the building. That person was transported to a local hospital.
The department is working with the Red Cross to make sure all residents are accounted for, as they have received conflicting information throughout the night.
"I have no known individuals (who) are trapped in that facility," Carlsten said Monday morning.
The Cedar Rapids division of Iowa Task Force 1 arrived overnight Sunday and began additional rescue operations assisted by canine units. Some dogs specialize in live rescues, others are cadaver dogs. A total of six dogs have been on scene for multiple shifts.
"The canine dogs have actually worked throughout the incident, throughout the night, and we do not have any confirmed hits with the canine dogs," Carlsten said.
Seven individuals were rescued by Davenport fire and police officers from the other parts of the building, with 12 able to be escorted out from multiple floors of the building.
At an undetermined time on Monday, the effort will switch from rescue to recovery, soon after the Iowa Task Force 1 wraps up their initial search.
Carlsten said there are also multiple structural engineers that have been on site throughout the night to provide technical guidance to the rescue effort.
"At this time, the building is structurally unsound (and) is posing a risk to responders and we are actively working for the best course of action for the building. We have a continued concern for the stability of the building, and we continue to ask the public to avoid the area," Carlsten said Monday morning.
There was a large natural gas leak at the building as a result of the collapse that delayed responders' entrance into the building by two hours as MidAmerican Energy and Iowa American turned off the gas and water, respectively.
Rich Oswald, director of Neighborhood Services with the City of Davenport, said there has been some complaints filed in the past regarding the structure of the building, to which the City did numerous inspections.
"We issued notice and orders to have those repaired. The building owner hired their own engineering firm, to direct them in the repairs needed to be made. So once fire releases the scene, we'll begin an extensive investigation to find out what has caused it," Oswald said.
Oswald said the building houses 84 apartments, between residential and commercial units.
Mayor Mike Matson praised the response of the rescue crews, saying the fire department immediately went into the building, with the focus of getting any residents out.
Displaced residents were put up at CASI (Center for Active Seniors Inc.) in Davenport overnight. Matson reported that 7 adults and 1 child spent the night there, with other residents finding places to stay with family or in hotels.
For those in the community looking to assist the victims, the Red Cross is coordinating those efforts. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS to find out what help is needed.