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Some businesses closed after roof collapses at Colwood Corners

Roof caves in above two vacant units, neighbouring businesses forced to close
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First Choice Hair Cutters and Kathy’s Mutt Cuts, located at Colwood Corners on Sooke Road, are closed until further notice after the roof caved in early Tuesday morning. (Aaron Guillen/News Staff)

Some businesses at Colwood Corners closed unexpectedly after a roof collapsed early Tuesday morning due to the heavy rain.

Colwood Fire Chief John Cassidy said the call came in at about 2:30 a.m., with a request for assistance from local RCMP.

“Originally the call was about [a concern] for gas in the building,” Cassidy noted. Upon arrival, crews found what Cassidy estimates to be a 40-foot section of the roof had caved in above two vacant units. Air handling equipment also fell into the units below.

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According to Cassidy, one of the units used to house the Royal Bank and the other was Mini Price, which closed its doors in April 2019.

Building supplies could be seen outside Colwood Corners, located at 1905 Sooke Rd., late Tuesday morning. Neighbouring businesses, First Choice Hair Cutters and Kathy’s Mutt Cuts, are closed until further notice. London Drugs remains open after the owners recently replaced that roof.

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The owner of the building was contacted and Cassidy said it’s up to them now, along with a structural engineer and an architect, to determine the next steps for the structure.

Colwood Fire Rescue was on scene until about 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

“It is extremely unfortunate that this event has impacted the two businesses and their patrons, but public safety must be the primary concern,” reads a statement from the City of Colwood. City staff were on site Tuesday morning to provide information about working with insurers and the property owners to track and recover any potential loss of revenue.

The building is owned by Onni Group, a Vancouver-based development company.

According to the City of Colwood, it is not known at this time how the incident will affect the redevelopment plans but that the Onni Group will have to work with the city to adjust their plans going forward.

— With files from Shalu Mehta

kendra.crighton@blackpress.ca

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First Choice Hair Cutters and Kathy’s Mutt Cuts, located at Colwood Corners on Sooke Road, are closed until further notice after the roof caved in early Tuesday morning. (Aaron Guillen/News Staff)
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Building supplies could be seen outside the shopping centre at Colwood Corners on Tuesday after the roof caved in at around 2:30 a.m. (Aaron Guillen/News Staff)
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A look at the roof from on top of London Drugs. (City of Colwood)