Duluth's Miller Hill Mall Collapses Under Heavy Snow
DULUTH, MN — There is a gaping hole in Duluth’s Miller Hill Mall after its roof collapsed Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred around 9 a.m. at the mall’s Applebee’s Restaurant, according to the city’s fire department, which noted no injuries were reported and the building was evacuated.
Old Navy employee Kayla Tharaldson said the ceiling in her store was dripping before the collapse. She captured footage of the massive hole and a snow mound sitting below it on the floor of the mall, as well as water spreading under the door into her store.
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“We were all just doing the usual pre-open prep and I heard what sounded like a gunshot so I ran to the back and told a manager and she grabbed everyone else and pulled us to the back,” Tharaldson said via Facebook Messenger. “I didn’t think it was THAT major but kind of had a feeling something was going to happen.”
A crew was clearing snow from the roof Tuesday morning and had identified it as potentially unsafe shortly before it caved in, according to the Duluth News Tribune.
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A gas leak occurred at the time of the collapse but was quickly contained by public works and utility employees, according to the fire department, which added gas and water have been shut off to the building and it is unknown when they will be restored.
Structural engineers are assessing damage to the mall and will continue to monitor for secondary collapse, according to the department. The building remains closed until further notice, and the public is asked to stay away.
More than a foot of snow fell in Duluth over the weekend and the city has seen 116.4 inches so far this winter, according to the News Tribune, which noted the mall closed some stores in winter 2014 when its roof cracked and bowed.
A Miller Hill representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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