Three dozen people were injured Thursday when the second story of a garage collapsed at a Katy home where a crowd had gathered for a religious ceremony, officials and neighbors said.
As many as 150 people gathered for the festivities at the home on Park Mill Drive, just west of George Bush Park, when a room above the garage collapsed about 1:30 p.m., officials with the West I-10 Fire Department said.
About 40 people were in a 600-square-foot room above the garage when floor collapsed, said Tim Thomas, public information officer for the fire department.
“Those structures are typically not built for that many people,” Thomas said. “It was like a game room, with some nice wood floor in there and altar.”
Neighbors and attendants gathered on the sidewalks as 15 ambulances from the West I-10 fire department treated the injuries. Houston fire department brought its mass casualty evacuation ambulance, designed to transport up to nine people on stretchers.
HPD Senior captain Ruy Luzano described the inside of the garage structure as “pancaked.”
“The floor gave way,” he said. “It looked like it bowed.”
Of the three dozen taken to hospitals, three were considered urgent, Thomas said. Most had cuts and abrasions.
Twenty-five of the injured were taken to Memorial Hermann facilities, hospital officials said. All were reported in good condition.
People at the party refused comment.
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SOURCE: Leah Binkovitz
Houston Chronicle
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