Roof Collapses At Palm Springs Department Store

PALM SPRINGS -Part of a roof collapsed at a Ross Dress For Less in Palm Springs today, injuring an employee, and flooding prompted the evacuation of several homes in Mecca, as a third winter storm wreaked havoc on the Coachella Valley.

A 20-foot-by-30-foot section of the roof at the Ross at 72250 Farrell Drive caved in around 10 a.m., and a female employee was treated for neck and back pain at the scene, according to the Desert Sun Web site.

“We have significant structural damage. Part of the roof has come down. The sprinkler system, the pipes broke, so we had major flooding inside the store, not just from the rain but from the sprinkler system,” Battalion Chief Mark Avner told the newspaper.

The roof caved in over a back office. The reason the roof broke was unknown.