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## Building Collapse Causes It is more likely that the incident commander and firefighters failed to understand the causes of a structural collapse than that a collapse would occur without any warning. The fire itself or the occupancy may at times be the only indication that a collapse is likely...

## Building Collapse Causes It is more likely that the incident commander and firefighters failed to understand the causes of a structural collapse than that a collapse would occur without any warning. The fire itself or the occupancy may at times be the only indication that a collapse is likely. If you are aware of the causes and warning signs, you will know when it is time to take action to avoid having people caught in what is almost certain to ensue. ### Common Causes of Structural Collapse on the Fireground: 1. **Structural weakness** _due to faults in design, shoddy workmanship, and illegal or improper renovations_ - The removal and failure to adequately replace a bearing wall, coupled with further alterations to another section of a bearing wall, was the main cause of the Vendome Hotel disaster in Boston. Any renovation to the building's original structure should be viewed with at least some concern until properly evaluated by a structural engineer or architect. Unfortunately, not all renovations are properly evaluated by an engineer or architect, before the work is completed.