Fort Lauderdale shopping center shut down after roof collapse – WPLG Local 10

Fort Lauderdale shopping center shut down after roof collapse – WPLG Local 10

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale shopping center was closed Thursday after a partial roof collapse.

No injuries were reported.

Fire rescue officials were called to the Bealls Outlet store in the Southland Shopping Center on State Road 84, about a mile east of I-95.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesman Stephen Gollan said crews had concerns about the building and contacted the city’s building department.

Structural engineers were concerned about the entire shopping center, Gollan said, and as a result, all of the businesses in that plaza, including the Winn-Dixie, have been closed until they are deemed safe to re-enter.

It’s believed that stucco came down right at the front entrance of the Bealls store around 10 a.m. Shoppers were inside at the time and were escorted out of the back of the building.

Sky 10 was over the scene where debris could be seen outside the Bealls store.

“The entire strip shopping center is blocked off,” a city spokesman said. “The city of Fort Lauderdale building inspectors have noted some deflections, possible comprised areas in the integrity of the overhang in other parts of the shopping center. So that’s something they will be looking with along with the structural engineers.”

There are 24 businesses that are part of the strip mall. The front entrances are closed, but some businesses are serving from the back.

Authorities hope to get the plaza back to normal business by Friday afternoon.

Published at Thu, 10 Jun 2021 18:27:17 +0000