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BRIGHAM CITY — A demolition worker was killed after a roof prematurely collapsed at what was once a Kmart in Brigham City.
At about 3 p.m., a team of four demolition workers were on the roof preparing for a planned collapse.
The roof collapsed sooner than they expected, according to Box Elder News Journal Associate Editor Mike Nelson. The man killed in the incident had left the area for an unknown reason. Officials said he was found under the rubble.
"Three were on top of the roof, and one had left the roof for an unknown reason," said Brigham City Fire Captain Mike Young. "When the roof came down, it was a bit premature that what the construction workers had initially planned."
Emergency services were on scene, with roughly 20 people inside, including the city's structural collapse unit. They searched through the rubble trying to locate the worker. The entire southern half of the roof came down.
"That portion of the building where the roof did come down was a scheduled demolition, so the rest of the building is OK, structurally," Young said. "Of course, we'll cordon off the building and deny entry for everybody else."
Reynolds excavation has identified the worker and notified the next of kin, but the name has not yet been released to the public. They did say that the worker was not one of their employees.
The building, vacant more than a decade, was recently purchased by Utah State University. The intent was to renovate the structure for use on the upcoming USU Brigham City campus.
Contributing: Paul Nelson, Peter Samore, Devon Dolan, David Self Newlin
