Accumulated stormwater causes grocery store roof to collapse

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV/Gray News) - Water pooling up on a Madison, Wisconsin, grocery store caused the roof to collapse Monday night, the fire department confirmed.

The Madison Fire Department said Tuesday that firefighters responded to the Woodman’s store on Milwaukee Street before 8:45 p.m. on Monday after multiple callers reported the roof had collapsed and water was pouring into the building.

Callers also said they smelled smoke inside the store.

A crew arrived at the store and confirmed a large portion of the roof collapsed and water was on the floor.

Firefighters told store management to evacuate all customers and move employees to a specific area so they could be accounted for.

Investigators eventually determined there was no fire in the building, nor were there any natural gas or chemical leaks.

The Heavy Urban Rescue Team, Madison Building Inspection Team and the building’s engineer found the two main drains near where the roof collapsed were blocked by debris.

Firefighters said this confirmed the collapse was caused by stormwater that accumulated.

No one was hurt in the roof collapse, the Madison Fire Department said.

Employees were told they could move products around the store, but were urged not to enter the safety perimeter that was set up.

The Woodman’s location will remain closed until a full inspection can be done, according to the local public health department.