Monday, June 14, 1999
Section of roof collapses at store; 2 employees hurt
BY MIRIAM SMITH
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MIDDLETOWN — A 40-by-70-foot piece of steel roof collapsed and injured two employees while customers shopped Saturday at the Elder Beerman store in the Towne Mall.
The employees, who were not injured seriously, were struck by flying debris while working in the domestics department of the store, fire and store officials said.
Jane Kelley, 48, of Trenton and Mary Kilmer, 60, of Monroe, were taken to Middletown Regional Hospital, where they were treated and released.
The collapse occurred at 3:07 p.m., and the store was closed after water from an afternoon storm and the sprinkler system damaged about half the business, officials said.
Robert Kennedy, a deputy chief with the Middletown Division of Fire, said all customers were out of the store when firefighters arrived, about three minutes after the fire alarm.
Parts of the store, near the inter section of Interstate 75 and Ohio 122, had 2 to 3 inches of water, he said. The mall was built about 1977, said Middletown Fire Capt. Richard Rainey.
Other businesses damaged
Fire crews used pumps and squeegees to remove the water from the store and the west wing of the mall. A handful of other businesses also had water damage in that wing of the mall, fire officials said.
Store manager Kevin Lewis said he did not have a damage estimate Sunday. He expects the store to reopen within a couple of days.
He said a preliminary investigation indicates water from the storm built up on the roof before it collapsed.
Mr. Lewis said there were a handful of customers, none of whom was hurt, and about 30 employees in the store at the time of the collapse.
“It's going to be a couple of days before we'll be able to repair the roof and be back in business,” Mr. Lewis said.
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