The balcony collapse that killed six college students appears to have been caused by rotted wooden beams, Berkeley's mayor has said as the victims' heartbroken loved ones began arriving in the US from Ireland.
Mayor Tom Bates yesterday said investigators believe the wood was not caulked and sealed properly at the time of construction and was damaged by moisture as a result.
The crowded fifth-floor balcony broke off an apartment building during a 21st-birthday party held by visiting Irish college students Tuesday, dumping 13 people 50 feet onto the pavement. In addition to the six killed, seven were seriously hurt.
"More than likely it was caused by rain and caused by water damage that was done to the support beams," Bates said. He said it was "obviously a bad idea" for 13 people to crowd onto such a small balcony but added that he is not blaming the victims.
Later in the day, however, the mayor said that the water-damage theory was speculation on his part and not an official conclusion, and that the investigation is still underway.
Building inspectors also determined another balcony at the Library Gardens apartment complex was "structurally unsafe and presented a collapse hazard," and it ordered it demolished.
Two other balconies were red-tagged, or declared off-limits, at the apartments, which were completed in 2007 and are popular among visiting students and those at the nearby University of California, Berkeley.
Segue Construction, the Library Gardens general contractor, was involved in two San Francisco Bay Area lawsuits in recent years involving allegations of dry rot and substandard balconies at condo and apartment projects in Millbrae and San Jose. Among other things, Segue was accused of improperly waterproofing balconies.
Both cases were settled in 2013 with Segue, developers and other parties agreeing to pay millions.
Segue spokesman Sam Singer said such litigation is common on large projects and "has no bearing on the tragedy in the Berkeley."
"They are completely different projects. They are completely different types of balconies," he said. Singer said of the balcony collapse: "Segue Construction has never had an incident like this in its history.
