HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) – The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Emergency Communications Center began receiving calls at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Monday, August 18 concerning the collapse in the 300 block of Old South High Street. The Harrisonburg Fire Department and Harrisonburg Rescue Squad were immediately dispatched, with HFD Engine 4 arriving on location and confirming a deck collapse in the rear of a private residence with multiple people injured. The incident was upgraded to a mass-casualty incident due to the number of injuries, bringing additional ambulances and personnel from the city, Rockingham County and Augusta County to the scene.

A total of five individuals were transported by ambulance to Sentara RMH with various non-life-threatening injuries. An unknown number of individuals who left the scene prior to HFD’s arrival may have also been injured and sought treatment on their own. All patients who remained at the scene were identified, triaged and transported in under 30 minutes. A city building inspector reported to the scene and determined that the rest of the residential structure could be reoccupied.

“We are extremely relieved that there were no serious injuries at this incident,” HFD Chief Matthew Tobia said. “At the moment of collapse, the deck was unable to sustain the weight that was on it. Any time you are hosting a large amount of people in your home, or having guests on your deck, or placing people in or on any load-bearing structure, you need to be aware of the potential dangers of failure. Overcrowding areas should be avoided, and if individuals feel that they may be unsafe, they should leave.”

The Harrisonburg Fire Department was assisted by the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad, Rockingham County Fire Rescue, Augusta County Fire Rescue, the Harrisonburg Police Department, the James Madison University Police Department and the City of Harrisonburg Community Development Department’s Building Official’s Office.