iStockphoto / felixmizioznikov
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Brickell Key in Miami, Florida opened its doors in November 2000 and saw decades of prosperity until Sunday when the 23-story, former 5* property was imploded. While locals around Brickell Key were certainly made aware of the Mandarin Oriental’s implosion, that did not prevent chaos from ensuing.
As the 23-story property crumbled to the ground like a house of cards there were plumes of smoke and immeasurable debris spewing all throughout the 44-acre man-made island.
Mandarin Oriental Implosion Causes Chaos
People living in the area celebrated the implosion with cocktails on their balconies. In true Miami fashion, there were yacht parties left and right all pulled up as close as they were allowed to get.
When the countdown first began there were some small fireworks prior to the explosions that took the building down. BG Group Demolition was the group in charge of this 23-story demolition.
It seems that despite dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s, there was no real way to account for the wind. After the explosions, smoke began wafting toward downtown. Check out this footage of the implosion from a nearby balcony and the second clip below is of the aftermath:
@alyciaviola Brickell Key Miami Mandarin Oriental implosion!!! #miaminews #onlyindade #brickellkey #mandarinorientalbrickellkey #mandarinorientalimplosion
That was a fantastic implosion! One for the ages. I considered driving over to watch it but I was dead tired from Saturday and had a wedding to attend last night and thought better of it. Ultimately, after seeing this footage of the smoke in the aftermath it seemed like the right idea to sit this one out.
Aftermath of debris in Brickell this morning after the implosion of the Mandarin Oriental💨😳| #ONLYinDADE pic.twitter.com/UGJ43Ra9Ub
— ONLY in DADE (@ONLYinDADE) April 12, 2026
Everyone in the replies on X are echoing the same thought: ‘do not breathe that in.’
It did not take very long for local news outlets in South Florida to run with the story of chaos ensuing the demolition:
With the Mandarin Oriental reduced to rubble, excavation and construction will now begin in on two-tower luxury hotel and residential property that is slated to open some time in 2030.
This implosion was 2 years in the making which is wild considering that began just 24 years after the Mandarin Oriental was built. That was an incredible property, one frequented by celebrities, and for it to be completely demolished just 26 years after it was built so sort of unfathomable given the exorbitant costs of construction. Alas, onward and upward for the next property.