Commercial building under renovation partially collapses in Holladay; no injuries reported
HOLLADAY, Utah (KUTV) — A commercial building that was undergoing renovation partially collapsed in Salt Lake County.
Officials with Unified Fire said the incident was reported a short time before 5 p.m. Thursday near 4890 S Highland Drive in Holladay.
Based on preliminary information, the collapse may have been caused by the construction crews accidentally hitting a load-bearing wall.
Seven people who were inside the building at the time of the incident were affected by the collapse. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported, and everyone was able to evacuate without requiring medical treatment.
"We were right in the middle of our workday and heard some rumbling happen in our building," recalled Jasmine Gonzales, who works next door at Holladay Dental Studio. "We didn't think much until fire alarms starting going off."
Her team had patients in the dental chair at the time of the collapse.
"My patient actually had a walker and there’s no ramp on that side so just getting them out we helped her down the stairs," she said.
According to Kelly Bird, a spokesperson with Unified Fire, a few operating a scissor lift during the collapse had to jump down from the elevated platform. They also escaped without any significant injuries.
“Nothing significant, they were just superficial," Bird chuckled, "I think they were more alarmed, maybe some change of underpants, those types of things."
Bird said city structural engineers were on scene to investigate the situation and determine the necessary steps to be taken.
He said the situation was more unstable than initially thought.
"While we were here on scene, there was a portion of the wall here on the front that did collapse further," Bird said.
They were also investigating how the construction crews struck a load-bearing wall, leading to the collapse.
The collapsed commercial building was set to become a pickleball facility, according to Bird.
Bird said the affected building will be carefully demolished, and once deemed secure, nearby structures and businesses will be given permission to reenter.
