BERKELEY (KRON) — The City of Berkeley has released new documents from a private company showing that a balcony at the Library Gardens apartment complex had cleared an inspection nearly a year before it collapsed and killed six people.
The fourth floor balcony collapsed during a party in unit 405 at 2020 Kittredge St. at 12:41 a.m. on June 16, killing three men and three woman and injuring seven others.
It’s unknown what kind of inspection took place, and the name of company that conducted the inspection was not listed in the documents.
The August 2014 inspection records show that the Library Gardens apartment complex’s balcony supports, rails and decking were in “good” condition.
RELATED: READ INSPECTION DOCUMENTS ON CITY SITE
A spokeswoman for Greystar, the Library Gardens management company, issued a statement via email saying “The safety of our residents and their guests is our highest priority.”
“Immediately following the accident, experts from leading engineering firms were engaged to evaluate the building. The experts have confirmed that the building is safe. In the days following the accident we provided the City of Berkeley with various documents, including providing 2014 inspection documents for both unit 405 and unit 305. Additionally, we are completing 2015 unit inspections at Library Gardens in accordance with the City’s Rental Housing Safety Program.”
Last week, city officials said that the deck joists of the fourth floor balcony were found to be severely dry rotted, likely causing the collapse. The Berkeley City Council will take up new building and inspection regulations in the coming weeks designed to prevent similar catastrophes in the future.
Five Irish nationals, all 21 years old, were killed in the incident. They were identified as Olivia Burke, Eoghan Culligan, Niccolai Schuster, Lorcan Miller and Eimear Walsh.
The sixth victim was Rohnert Park resident Ashley Donohoe, 22, who had worked for the last eight months as a forensic assistant intern with the Sonoma County coroner’s office.