CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A contractor hired by Chesterfield County to build a multi-million dollar firehouse is investigating why the roof unexpectedly collapsed.
Chesterfield Fire and EMS Lt. Kenny Mitchell said the intricate metal roofing frame fell at the construction site at Charter Colony Parkway and Midlothian Turnpike at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Oyster Point Construction Company based in Newport News is currently investigating why the roofing material fell.
“Construction will continue in the unaffected areas of the building,” Mitchell wrote in an email Friday. “There is no information at this time as to what the setback for completion will be.”
No one was hurt.
The $9.3 million project replaces Station 5 located across from Midlothian Middle School.
The plans allow for a ladder truck to be housed in the building to improve response times in the area.
On Friday, construction crews had moved the damaged roofing material to a vacant spot on the property beside the building under construction.
Rumors spread quickly in Midlothian as a customer walked into Pat Chandler’s pool business Swim World next door fearing it was her building that had been damaged.
“One of my customers came in this morning, ‘Oh my gosh Pat, we thought it was you!” Chandler recalled. “They were afraid something had collapsed on this building and that the roof had given in.”
Chandler offered the workers a gift as investigators work to figure out why the roof came crashing down.
“I took them some cookies because they were having a really bad day, and cookies always make me feel better,” she said.
The estimated completion date was December 2021/January 2022; however, that may change because of the damage to the station, according to a county spokesperson.
