By Rita Farlow, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The hole in the floor at Clairmont on the Green was 13 by 16 inches, and caused by damage from a water leak, a city spokesman said.
How three people fell through a pizza box-sized hole in the floor of a Largo apartment building Monday is not completely clear, though city officials have since evacuated the unit.
A 24-year-old man and two teenagers who have not been identified sustained minor injuries when they fell through the floor and landed 10 feet below in a downstairs apartment at the Clairmont on the Green complex at 600 Starkey Road on Monday afternoon.
The hole in the floor, measured at 13 by 16 inches, was caused by damage from some sort of water leak, said city spokesman Jonathan Evans.
On Monday, Largo firefighters shored up the floor to prevent further damage. The city's building department was working Tuesday with a structural engineer and the apartment's property manager to put together a comprehensive repair plan, Evans said.
The property management group has moved the affected family — a mother and her three teenagers — to another unit, said property spokesman Kurt Jacobson.
The repairs should be made within a few days. The first-floor apartment where the people landed is structurally sound and does not need to be vacated while repairs are done, Evans said.
Times staff writer Dominick Tao contributed to this report.