GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—All the employees and shoppers got out safely when the ceiling in a western Colorado thrift store partially collapsed Friday.
Employees feared one shopper didn’t make it out, launching a nearly seven-hour search through the rubble in the Grand Junction Salvation Army store.
“We found no victims,” Grand Junction Fire Department spokesman Mike Page said. “It was a fortunate day for everyone.”
Part of the ceiling of the two-story, metal building fell at about 3:30 p.m. There were 22 people in the store at the time.
Firefighters began sifting through the debris to see if a shopper was trapped inside. They used search dogs and thermal imaging equipment that registers body heat, but found no one.
The collapse appears to have happened in a sorting room on the upper floor, according to KJCT-TV. Salvation Army Capt. Dan Wilson said employees pitched in about a year ago to clean up the building.
“You think maybe a year and a half ago it could have happened, then when you get all the stuff cleaned up and then it happens, you wonder why,” Wilson said of the upper floor giving way.
Page said it could take a while to determine what caused the collapse. The building will be secured and its stability assessed.
Page said one person who was in the store was treated for respiratory problems and released from the hospital. A firefighter was treated for a cut hand.
