LAKE CITY, Fla. – A building collapsed Wednesday at the Florida Gateway Fairgrounds Rodeo Arena in Lake City, prompting a response from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and several other local agencies.
No injuries were reported. Officials said weather was not a factor in the collapse and that all crews on site were accounted for.
The collapse happened at the new rodeo arena facility, which is currently under construction. The cause remains under investigation.
Residents flock to the scene
News4JAX spoke with residents who made their way to the site after word spread — largely through social media.
Lake City resident Clint Boone was among those who stopped by to see the damage firsthand.
“I just heard about the building failure collapse and had to come by and look in, just speculation, mostly,” Boone said.
He described the scene as something most people never expect to see.
“I’ve never personally seen a building collapse like that,” Boone said. “That was a large building. Never seen that before.”
Boone said social media played a role in drawing people out.
“It’s all over social media, so everybody’s got to come see it for themselves, get their own pictures, and make their own post about it, probably, too,” he said.
‘A blessing that nobody got hurt’
Despite the scale of the collapse, Boone said he was grateful the incident didn’t claim any lives.
“I think that the fact that nobody got hurt is really a blessing,” Boone said. “We’re being watched over — the workers and everybody else on site. It’s a dangerous situation.”
He added: “All the materials, equipment, the headache — all that can be replaced. But people’s safety is very much paramount over that.”
A woman who was in the area when the collapse happened shared that she heard a loud crash and bang before seeing a large plume of smoke or dust rise from the site. She declined to appear on camera.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation.
This is a developing story. News4JAX is working to learn more information.