Crack prompts preventive evacuation

Firefighters evacuated residents from one staircase of a block at Drumul Taberei no. 30 in Sector 6 of Bucharest on Saturday, 24 October 2026, after a crack was reported between two staircases, running from the fifth to the eighth floor. A tenant alerted the 112 emergency line, according to the Bucharest-Ilfov Emergency Situations Inspectorate (ISU). The building is a P+8 block, meaning a ground floor and eight storeys, and it is flagged as a seismic risk building.

The staircase has 36 apartments and 65 residents, all of whom were moved out as a precaution. Reports describe the building as marked with a red dot, the category denoting the highest risk of collapse in an earthquake.

Cause still unclear

Authorities have not established whether the crack was produced by the earthquake of 19 October 2026. Reports give that quake a magnitude of 4.8 and 4.9. ISU stated the position in its own words:

“Based on preliminary information, the staircase is made up of 36 apartments and is home to 65 people.”

The quake was felt in Bucharest, and ISU sent a vehicle to the Historic Centre shortly after it struck to check for consequences. The Vrancea zone where the quake occurred is described as the most active seismic region in Romania, with its strongest earthquakes in the country's history.

Emergency response and next steps

Several units were deployed to the site, including the Special Rescue Detachment, a fire truck with water and foam, a SMURD crew and a personnel transport vehicle. The transport vehicle provides a temporary shelter to protect the evacuees from low temperatures. Inspectors from the State Inspectorate in Construction have been requested to carry out a technical assessment of the building.

The results of that assessment are not yet known. Officials have not yet established the cause of the crack or its possible effects on the structure of the building.