By Bryan Eneas

Parking garage ceiling collapses in downtown Prince Albert

Mar 29, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Just as the lunch hour was getting underway, the ceiling of a parking garage collapsed on three cars in downtown Prince Albert.

No injuries were reported in the collapse, which happened at 25 11 St. E, just across from city hall.

Greg Johnson said he was working in the building temporarily as his office at the Macintosh Mall is under renovations. His office was directly above the collapsed ceiling.

“We heard the crashing, it came crashing down and the whole building kind of shook,” Johnson said. “I came outside to have a look and the [ceiling] had fallen.”

Johnson’s 2015 Dodge Ram, which he purchased just five months ago, was under the ceiling when it collapsed. He said was unsure what the damage to the vehicle is and hopes SGI will cover the damages.

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In the meantime, Johnson and his office mates are starting the Easter long weekend a little early.

“They’re not sure what the structure is like up there, so they’re not going to allow us back in there until they figure that out,” Johnson said.

He said he’s not sure if he’ll park under the ceiling again. Instead, he might start parking along the street in the future.

Prince Albert Fire Department Battalion Chief Alex Paul said firefighters and members of the Prince Albert Police Service would be blocking the area off to public access.

Paul said as there was nobody trapped or hurt in the incident and the property owner is responsible for bringing in contractors to figure out how to support the ceiling to remove the cars affected by the collapse.

Kim Johnson, the City of Prince Albert’s Chief Building Official did a quick examination of the damage shortly after the ceiling fell. He couldn’t yet speak to the structural safety of the building.

“At the moment, we couldn’t tell you exactly what the damage is done or occurred. The immediate safety concern would be that area underneath the roof itself,” Kim said. “The damage can’t be told until somebody does an exact assessment of the building.”

He said work needs to be done to remove the vehicles before any kind of assessment can be made by the city.

Kim asked people in the downtown area to stay away from the alley where the collapse occurred to allow police and firefighters to do safely do their work.

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas