Belmont apartment building evacuated for ‘structural concerns’

BELMONT, Mass. — An estimated 75 people were displaced Friday after structural concerns forced the evacuation of a Belmont apartment building.

Police and firefighters evacuated about 40 residents from the seven-story building on Trapelo Rd., shortly after 1 p.m.

“There were several concerns that were listed in a memo that was issued to the building management, some issues with cracks and things of that nature,” said Belmont Fire Chief David DeStefano.

A sixth-floor resident who asked not be identified sent video to Boston 25 News of a large crack in her ceiling running along two walls of her unit. She believes her report to property management led to the engineers’ assessment.

“I didn’t see a crack over my wall before,” she said. “So, for me to look up one day and then see it, it was kind of alarming to me.”

Yulong Xu arrived home Friday afternoon with his wife and son to learn he had just minutes to grab some belongings and leave the building.

“I’m very, very nervous, and it’s scary,” he said. “What’s the plan? What’s the next step?”

Residents spent hours in a lobby across the street and on a bus, until around 9 p.m., when they learned Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Salvation Army would provide shelter for them at a Waltham Marriott. It remains unclear when they will be able to return home.

Many residents expressed frustration with Great North Property Management for a lack of information and assistance with alternate shelter.

A representative of the company declined to comment on scene, referring Boston 25 News to the company headquarters in Exeter, N.H. A call to the office was not returned Friday.

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