SAVANNAH, Ga. — Three workers were injured on Tuesday when the third floor of the federal courthouse in Savannah, Georgia, collapsed, authorities said.
The workers were at the 125-year-old Tomochichi Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Savannah when part of the floor collapsed onto the second floor, Wayne Ifill, battalion chief for the Savannah Fire Department, told the Savannah Morning News.
The workers’ injuries were not considered to be life-threatening, fire officials said.
If you are downtown please avoid Wright Square and the entire area between Whitaker Street, Broughton Street, west of Drayton Street and Liberty Street. Portion of 3rd floor collapse at the Federal Courthouse. Confirmed 3 injured transported to hospital. pic.twitter.com/60E1jrHdxO
— Savannah Fire Department (@savannahfire) April 11, 2023
The cause of the collapse, which occurred at about 3:30 p.m. EDT, is still being investigated, WSAV-TV reported.
“The floor falling in shouldn’t have happened,” Ifill told reporters. “So we all know this building has been under renovations for several years, or at least a year now. And we don’t know what exactly the action was to cause that collapse to happen.”
The building is next to Wright Square in downtown Savannah, according to WSB-TV.
The building will be closed until the structural engineer arrives from South Carolina to determine when it will be safe to re-enter, the Morning News reported.
WSAV reported that the contractor working to renovate the building is Brasfield & Gorrie, based in Birmingham, Alabama, according to the U.S. General Services Administration, which is overseeing the project.
“They don’t receive permits from the city to do their work,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson told reporters, according to WTOC-TV. “Obviously, it’s a significant project. Obviously, it’s a big building. It’s an older building, and it’s had its challenges. So we’re just concerned about the safety of the individuals not only around it but also working in it.”
