Safeway roof collapse and fire, 35th & Northern

[KB7MIB]

Happening now, the Safeway grocery store at 35th Ave and Northern Ave is fully engulfed at this time.

The roof has been reported as having collapsed.

All employees and customers were reported evacuated safely.

Defensive operations at this time.

Fire channel A-9, 155.670.

John
Peoria

 

[KB7MIB]

There's still a couple of units on scene as of 12:30pm, putting water on the rubble.

It has been confirmed that no one was hurt. The storm is the suspected cause. (I don't know how exactly the storm caused the roof collapse and fire. Lightning? Too much water weight on the roof due to clogged drains? Water getting into electrical equipment? I don't think that has yet been determined.)

John
Peoria

 

[N9PBD]

ABC15 interviewed a patron that was inside, who made video of a lot of water on the floors in the back of the store, right before the fire. May well have been rain water loading on the roof.
The roof collapsed at the back of the store, damaging gas lines, leading to the fire that destroyed the building.

 

[KB7MIB]

Thanks for the information.

John
Peoria

 

[KB7MIB]

It's now being reported that there was a microburst over the area before the roof collapse. So most likely too much water weight on the roof, possibly due to blocked drains.

John
Peoria

 

[cellphone]

I was not in monitoring range, but the video footage from the news was incredible. This was an enormous fire, and Phoenix FD did a great job ensuring it did not spread beyond the building.

https://www.12news.com/video/news/l...eports-are-that-the-roof-collapsed/75-8186637

https://www.12news.com/article/news...-massive-fire-at-phoenix-safeway/75-572907325

 

[KB7MIB]

I wasn't in monitoring range either. I heard the alarm room on occasion. I wanted to drive over there so I could hear the incident being worked. Even if I had to sit in the parking lot at work a mile away, instead of contributing to the traffic congestion, especially with the traffic lights out in that intersection.
But I just stayed home, and watched it on the news until 7pm, then we watched the Diamondbacks lose.

John
Peoria