The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said an indoor rodeo arena under construction at the Florida Gateway Fairgrounds in Lake City collapsed late this afternoon.
The agency said “at this time, all personnel are accounted for and safe.” Action News Jax has a crew on scene and will be providing updates.
There was heavy police presence at the site shortly after the collapse. It included police, fire crews, and the Columbia County Florida Emergency Management agency.
The sheriff’s office said they do not believe there was severe weather when first responders arrived at the site. The cause of the collapse is being investigated.
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The building under construction was an indoor arena adjacent to an existing outdoor arena where rodeos and other events are held.
Plumb Level Construction Co., a contractor on the project, said in a Facebook post later in the day that crews were fortunate to escape injury.
“We would like to thank everyone for the calls and prayers,” said a post on the company’s Facebook page. “Sometime things happen that are outside our control. Thankfully no one was injured.”
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