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Ceiling collapses inside Washington movie theater

WENATCHEE, Wash. — Two moviegoers were not hurt when the ceiling collapsed inside Wenatchee’s Liberty Cinema on Tuesday night.

As the two people were watching Captain America, debris came crashing down.

Battalion Chief Cam Phillips with the Wenatchee Valley Fire Department responded to the scene on Tuesday night.

“They heard some pops and cracking and the gentleman stood up and took a peek,” Phillips said. “[He] walked up toward the screen and as he looked up, he said, ‘Run!’”

His girlfriend who was with him didn’t have time to react, Phillips said, and she was found covered in debris in her seat – one row behind where the ceiling had collapsed.

Phillips said the Liberty Cinema was built in 1919 and the last remodel was sometime in the 70s. He believes the drop ceiling catastrophically failed all at once, causing everything to fall.

In a statement to KING 5, the owners of Liberty Cinema said their team is working with local authorities to ensure a thorough investigation into the cause of the collapse.

“The safety of our patrons and of our employees are of the utmost importance to me and remains my highest priority,” the owners statement continued. The theater will be closed until further notice.

Phillips said the two people in the theater ae lucky to have not been harmed.

“We are really fortunate that this didn’t happen on a Friday night or a Saturday night when the theater was full,” Phillips said. “This was a best case scenario on a bad situation.”

:blobfoxsweating: #Washington