The roof of a CVS drugstore collapsed under the weight of accumulated snow Wednesday in the Bronx.
There were eight employees and seven customers inside the one-story business at Burke Avenue near White Plains Road, when the roof gave way at about 1:41 p.m., FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief James Daly said.
Nobody was hurt.
Employees told authorities that ceiling tiles were popping out of place moments before collapse. The crash left a wall on the Burke Avenue side of the store buckling precariously.
“The assistant manager and other employees got everybody out of the store quickly,” Daly said. “They did a great job and deserve all the credit.”
Customer Rafael Cordero, 43, was in line waiting to pay for shampoo and potato chips when he noticed water pouring from the ceiling in the middle of the store.
“[Then] I saw the ceiling coming down from the back. I told the lady next to me, ‘Let’s get out of here!’ and we ran out of there,” he said.
“We couldn’t see what happened to the customers in the back of the store. It was scary. Thank God no one was hurt.”
The ceiling was built with no support columns, resulting in more floor space but weakening the structure against collapse.
Daly called that older style of construction a “firefighter killer” due to the risk it poses.
Additional reporting by David K. Li