As engineers and architects surveyed the Mallers Building for signs of damage Wednesday, most of the jewelers and other tenants waited outside for word on when they could get back in the building and set up shop.
An illegal 100-pound propane tank exploded in Betty’s Jewelry on Monday, causing extensive damage on the sixth floor and forcing the evacuation of the 21-story building at 5 S. Wabash Ave.
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The building remained closed Wednesday as architects and engineers conducted inspections to determine if the building is structurally sound. Workers also were tending to problems with the building’s elevators and electrical system, said Chicago Building Department spokeswoman Kristen Lobbins-Cabanban. The building cannot reopen until both are working properly, she said.
The Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire and explosion.
Use of a propane tank inside a building is illegal in the city, unless use of a tank is for approved construction work, according to city ordinance.
One man remained hospitalized for burns he received in Monday’s explosion and fire. Michael Erdman, 20, was upgraded to fair condition Wednesday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
The building’s owners hope to finish inspections of the building by the end of the week and to reopen as soon as possible, said Richard N. Kessler, an attorney for Mallers Building Ltd. Partnership and for the building’s management.
Kessler said he didn’t know why a tenant would be using propane. The building’s gas system was modified in 1998 to provide natural gas service to the jewelry businesses, he said.
The building’s tenants waited in line Wednesday to retrieve belongings. Windy City Diamonds, which has a street-level entrance separate from other occupants of the building, opened Wednesday morning.