Marysville building collapses

MARYSVILLE — Firefighting crews and city workers have shut down gas and water leaks at the site of an industrial building in Marysville whose roof collapsed Dec. 22 just before 7 a.m.

At 6:48 a.m., Marysville Fire District crews responded to reports of a gas leak inside a structure in the 14200 block of Smokey Point Boulevard. The dispatched crew discovered the roof of the approximately 200-foot by 600-foot corrugated metal building had been compromised and begun to collapse. Not only was there a natural gas leak, but the sprinklers had activated as well. The building was evacuated, and fire crews shut off the gas to the building and turned the sprinkler system off. The decision was made to evacuate the rest of the similar buildings on the property.

"The concern was, if this could happen to one, it could happen to more," said Kristen Thorstenson, public information officer for the Marysville Fire District. "Crews wanted to be certain all occupants remained safe."

Puget Sound Energy and the city of Marysville were called to the scene for investigations. In the meantime, a water leak was also discovered, which had resulted in approximately a foot of water and slush in portions of the parking lot. City crews shut off the water at the main by the street, while Puget Sound Energy checked the levels of natural gas in and around the building. Once Puget Sound Energy gave the go-ahead on the levels of natural gas, fire crews left the scene in the control of the buildings' owner.

"We had evacuated the entire complex just to be certain," said Thorstenson, who added that the buildings' owner had called in a structural engineer to look at the rest of the buildings, to ensure their integrity before their occupants were given the go-ahead to reoccupy the buildings.

Mobile homes are manufactured in the building located at 14219 Smokey Point Blvd. Thorstenson said that no injuries had been reported.

Contact Marysville Globe Reporter Kirk Boxleitner at kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com or 360-659-1300 Ext. 5052.

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