[June 15, 2013] Cause of Linda building collapse unclear Tweet Jun 15, 2013 (Appeal-Democrat - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The cause of a partial building collapse late Thursday in Linda remained unclear on Friday. An investigation into the cave-in could begin Monday, said Jeremy Strang, Yuba County's chief code enforcement officer. "The owners are bringing in their own structural engineer to determine what happened," Strang said. He said the building "clearly can't be saved." Area residents said the building at 5786 Lindhurst Ave. "suddenly collapsed" around 9 p.m. Thursday. No one was injured. County records show the building is owned by Sharif Financial Corp. of Sacramento. President Mahmud Sharif did not return phone calls seeking comment on Friday. At least three other businesses operate in the same building. Efforts to reach owners and managers at Alba Jewelers, Metro PCS and Norcal Clothing and Smoke Shop were not successful. County officials said those businesses would remain closed at least until the investigation is complete and possibly longer. County building officials have inspected the occupied portions of the building numerous times, most recently in April 2012. However, there was no records on file of any inspections of the abandoned part of the structure. The county's computer system was put in place in 2003 and it's possible those records did not get uploaded into the system, authorities said. The county also had no records on file indicating how long that part of the building had been empty. The Sharif group purchased the 19,176-square-foot building in May 2005, according to the Yuba County Assessor's Office. It was valued at $765,728, according to Kimberly Hiesch, the county's assistant assessor. Hiesch said the building was erected during the 1950s, though exact records were not kept. Hiesch said an assessment was conducted on the building during the early 1970s. The Tax Collector's Office confirmed the owners have stayed current on all taxes and fees. Strang said buildings from that era did not include many of the structural supports required of modern construction. "So once it started to go, it all went down," Strang said. Building officials said they frequently have issues with people stripping metals and other valuables from abandoned buildings, but said it was still too early to know whether that contributed to Thursday's cave in. CONTACT Rob Parsons at [email protected] 749-4785. ___ (c)2013 the Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, Calif.) Visit the Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, Calif.) at www.appeal-democrat.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]