Officials: 3 hurt in Minneapolis concert ceiling collapse
Published 9:52 am Thursday, August 13, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS — The ceiling of a landmark Minneapolis concert venue partially collapsed during a show late Wednesday night, injuring three people, officials said.
Firefighters responded to a report of a possible building collapse around 10:15 p.m., Minneapolis Fire Department spokeswoman Cherie Penn said in a statement.
When firefighters arrived, they found patrons evacuating First Avenue, a club in downtown. Firefighters inspected the venue and found that an approximately 30-by-30-foot section of the ceiling had given way during a concert, Penn said.
Three people were injured, and two were taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center for further evaluation, Penn said.
A spokeswoman for HCMC told the Minneapolis Star Tribune the hospital treated three people, who were in satisfactory condition with injuries that were not life-threatening.
First Avenue General Manager Nathan Kranz said about 750 people were inside for a performance by the band Theory of a Deadman when the ceiling fell in. That also pulled down the building’s sprinkler pipe, he said.
Fire department crews shut off the water supply, Penn said. The scene was cleared and the building turned back over to management just after 11 p.m.