Jul 18, 2013 2 min read

PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia City Council members held a third public hearing Thursday on a fatal building collapse, but voiced frustration that key city agencies declined to take part.

City Council members hoped to question Department of Licenses and Inspections and fire department officials about permits and other interaction with the contractors involved in the ill-fated demolition. A four-story wall collapsed at the site June 5, killing six people inside an adjacent Salvation Army store.

Mayor Michael Nutter’s spokesman, Mark McDonald, said city officials are cooperating to the extent they can, “while being mindful of the numerous investigations now under way, including one by a Philadelphia County Grand Jury.”

Meanwhile, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority released a new bus security video Thursday that shows the collapse. The collapse is caught on the bus video as the bus is traveling down Market Street. Clouds of dust and people running can be seen to the right of the bus.

Demolition experts suggested at Thursday’s hearing that contractors be required to prequalify for jobs because inspectors can’t police sites around the clock. Councilman Curtis Jones said under the current protocol, contractors are mostly policing themselves.

“It’s an honor system,” Jones said.

The demolition site included three attached storefront buildings, all owned by Richard Basciano, who allegedly took the lowest bid for the job, according to City Councilman James Kenney.

Demolition subcontractor Sean Benschop, accused of being impaired by marijuana and painkillers while operating heavy equipment just before the collapse, has been charged with six counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Passersby had called the city before the collapse to raise concerns about the demolition, but an inspector sent out days later found nothing amiss that day. He later committed suicide.

Demolition experts have questioned why Benschop was using heavy equipment at the scene, when the work needs to be done by hand, especially since the store remained open.

Lawyer Robert Mongeluzzi, who represents five survivors and the family of a woman killed inside the store, complained that the council hearings were focusing on needed reforms, rather than exploring what went wrong.

“I certainly would hope that City Council would look into the actual cause of the collapse,” he said.