104-Year-Old Building Evacuated In Cypress Park After Floor Collapses

LINCOLN HEIGHTS (CBSLA.com) — A building in Cypress Park that has both apartments and commercial space was evacuated Sunday evening after a floor collapsed.

The building -- located at 590 W. Avenue 28  -- is 104 years old, according to officials.

Bobby Kaple, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, spoke to a resident whose floor collapsed.

Reina Escalante said she heard a loud noise and then felt the floor shake. "I hear a noise like a boom and then I said 'What is this?' I felt the bed go down."

Six adults and three dogs have been displaced. The displaced are being taken care of by the Red Cross, reported Kaple.

The tenants have lived in the building for ten years and before today, never had a problem.

Officials say the problem began with a natural gas leak.

Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Rudy Hill said, "After they did a further assessment they found the floor on the second floor of one of the apartments was compromised and it had collapsed into the interstitial space between floors."

Resident Jennifer Venegas said, "They ended up telling us it was termites. The whole wood is full of them. So pretty much the whole building is going to have to get dropped down."

There were no reports of injuries.