Briefly in the news

-- Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- The owner of a building near the Rhine Channel that

collapsed last week and was declared unsafe by the city started taking

steps to demolish it Thursday.

The 23-year-old office building’s parking garage gave way Nov. 6 as it

snapped off the main structure. The garage is now resting on the shallow

end of the harbor. City building officials have said a rusty support

beam, corroded by the sea water, caused the collapse.

The demolition will “proceed in small steps,” contractor Jeff Tanner

said this week.

“Right now we’re disconnecting plumbing and utilities,” he said.

Workers will then put up temporary shoring and remove the cars that

were trapped in the garage.

The two-story office building and the pier parking structure will not

be completely demolished until after Thanksgiving, Tanner said.

“We need to be very careful in doing these preliminary things before

we take the big steps,” he said.

According to city officials, building owner Paul Sumner had until

Friday to begin the demolition. Building Director Jay Elbettar said city

staff would closely monitor the situation because the building is in

danger of further collapse.