2 workman had a lucky escape today when the roof of the building they were working on collapsed during their lunch break. The entire roof to the residential property above a shop on West Green Road, Haringey collapsed onto the floor below. The builders had all left the property and nobody was in residential part of the building at the time and so thankfully, there were no injuries.
Firefighters from the Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR) who specialise in assessing and shoring up collapsed structures checked the building was not in danger of collapsing. They worked with police to set up a 70ft security cordon and closed West Green Road between Seven Sisters tube station to the junction with Westerfield Road. It’s expected that the affected area of the road will be closed for approximately 24 hours. Numerous homes and businesses near to the affected building were evacuated.
Station Manager Daniel Alie who was at the scene said; “There is a lot of damage to the roof and upper area of the building but thankfully no injuries. If anyone had been in the loft or on the top floor when the roof caved in, it could have been a very different story.
“Our specialist USAR firefighters and officers from Haringey Council’s buildings control have been inspecting the damage to see if the affected building or those nearby are structurally sound”
One fire engine and an aerial ladder platform from Tottenham fire station attended the incident.
The Brigade was called at 1150 and will be at the scene for some time.