Polo Park ceiling collapses near second-floor food court

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This article was published 06/11/2022 (779 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A structural engineer is investigating after a second-floor ceiling collapse at Polo Park mall Saturday.

No one was injured when concrete fell from the ceiling next to the food court, but it startled patrons and employees.

Lanz Rivera was working in the back at Chachi’s sandwich bar and heard a loud noise before finding out part of the ceiling had fallen right next to the restaurant.

“The whole floor shook,” he said.

“It was a nasty scene. I’m just glad there was nobody (standing or walking by) there,” Rivera added, noting customers often stand in that spot while they wait for their orders. He said there was a lot of dust flying around the area, which made it a bit hard to breathe, but he and the other staff finished their shift.

Videos of the aftermath appear to show blocks of concrete and debris on the floor and a gaping hole in the second-floor’s ceiling, across from the escalators at the entrance to the food court.

On Monday, yellow plastic barricades cordoned off the spot, but customer access in and around the area wasn’t impeded.

Mall owner Cadillac Fairview issued a statement Monday afternoon confirming an “incident” and referencing a pending investigation.

“We can confirm that an incident occurred on Nov. 5th adjacent to the CF Polo Park dining area. Our security and operations team acted quickly, securing the area and ensuring the safety of people in the area.

“Thankfully no one was injured and the area was closed off pending investigation. The safety and security of our guests, employees and tenants is our top priority and the incident is currently being investigated by a structural engineer to determine cause and immediate next steps. The impacted area remains portioned off to allow for the inspection.”

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca