As first reported by StaceyPageOnline.com, the Turkey Creek Fire Territory responded to a report of a partial building collapse at 12:51 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Family Dollar Store in Syracuse.

As fire personnel arrived on scene, they saw that approximately 60 feet awning and the store’s sign that was attached to the north side of the building, had collapsed along with a large portion of the brick wall. According to a press release issued this morning, the brick wall had broken away from the block wall that was actually the structural wall of the building.

The store was open during normal business hours at the time of the collapse and employees and patrons were inside when it happened. The employees and patrons were assisted out of the building through a door on the east side of the building. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries as a result of the collapse.

Emergency personnel remained at the scene until approximately 4:45 p.m.

The Family Dollar Store in Syracuse will remain closed until after a structural engineer has evaluated the building and determined it to be safe to occupy. The owner of the building is Garth McClain of Carmel, Ind.

Syracuse Fire Chief Mickey Scott said the average weight of a cubic foot of snow is 15 pounds and indicates recent heavy snows were likely to blame for the structural failure of the awning. The heavy snow “results in an unusual amount of weight on the roofs, awnings, etc. of structures … especially those that are flat or nearly flat,” he said.