Sodden Wedding Dresses Lay Limp
The roof collapsed at a local boutique, destroying hundreds of wedding dresses
By MICHELLE WAYLAND and STEVEN LUKE
Updated 12:15 PM PST, Fri, Nov 20, 2009
A geyser erupts, a roof collapses -- and suddenly the biggest day in the lives of countless brides are in limbo.
The bridal horror began Thursday, when a car slammed into a fire hydrant at the intersection of Pacific Heights and Mira Mesa Boulevard -- sending a spectacular geyser shooting onto the top of the flat roof.
"It sounded at first like we were in a car wash or maybe they were washing the windows -- and then there was kind of a loud thud," Isis Bridal Owner Courtney August said.
Firefighters are calling it a freak accident.
"The weight of it just brought down the roof -- about a 20 foot by 20 foot chunk," firefighter Lee Swanson said.
"Everything from the front (of the store) was sort of floating to the back, so I ran around the front and I was going to go in the front and then the people across said don't go, and then the roof caved in," August said.
August just bought the business with her husband Evan in April. Newlyweds themselves, this was their first big investment as a couple.
"I mean, there was three feet of water in the store, the whole roof collapsed, everything is just totally destroyed," Evan said.
Inside there were hundreds of designer gowns -- not to mention computers, office equipment and records.
Luckily no one was hurt.
"I'm glad I didn't go back in," Courtney said.
She still can't believe there's a gaping hole in the top of her business. A structural engineer will assess the damage to see if the building is safe.
"I don't know, we're going to figure it out, what do you do," she said.
First Published: Nov 20, 2009 7:13 AM PST
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