Apollo Theatre ceiling collapses in London

[Tx4obama]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- A rescue operation was under way Thursday after part of the ceiling in the Apollo Theatre in central London collapsed during a performance, trapping people inside and causing casualties, Metropolitan Police said.

Police responded to a report of a ceiling collapse at about 8:15 p.m., the police said in a tweet, adding, "We are aware of a number of casualties but we have no further detail at this early stage."

The Press Association said witnesses saw people emerging from the building covered in dust.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/19/world/europe/britain-london-theater-collapse/index.html

[MADem]

1. This is terrible. (Wasn't the balcony, apparently, though--but part of the ceiling).

More here as well: http://metro.co.uk/2013/12/19/rescue-operation-under-way-after-balcony-collapse-at-apollo-theatre-4238007/

Initial reports suggested a balcony had collapsed, but it now appears part of the ceiling had collapsed.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. More from the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25458009

[jakeXT]

3. Strange

Andrew Howard-Smith, 68, said: "I saw the edge of the balcony come down, that's what I saw. We were on the balcony below.

"In the production you had to hold on to the rail and lean over to see what was going on, and we were doing the same.

"Everybody must have got hold of the brass rail and just pushed it over, and then the edge came off. That was the only bit that came off, just the edge. It wasn't the whole of the balcony, just the front 2ft."

[Tx4obama]

5. The ceiling and lighting rig probably contributed to the damage of the railing.

-snip-

The ornate plasterwork ceiling collapsed and brought part of the lighting rig down, it added.

-snip-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25458009

[mainer]

4. How awful. I've been to shows in that theater.

It's astonishing that something so central to London's theater district could be in such bad shape as to have a ceiling collapse.

[freshwest]

15. Maybe it was due to snow or rainfall? I haven't seen all the links yet.

720 people in there when it came down. Scores of injuries, some very serious in the hospital.

EDIT: No mention of weather being involved. It looks to be as you said, part of the building collapsed.

Guess they hadn't inspected it or it was just past its time.

[MADem]

16. Plaster and lathing, perhaps--this does happen every so often with that type of ceiling.

It happened to me living in a manor home in UK...my dining room ceiling came down in a heap. Fortunately no one was in the room at the time. What a mess!!

We had fellows come in and fix it all up nicely, but the dust lingered for some time, despite many cleanings.

[freshwest]

18. No cause other than worn out materials? That's scarey. I do know people over there who in the last

decade found that their very old homes had been built on top of old covered springs. When a lot of rain feel one year, their home was flooded from the water table being replenished. There was an article here on DU some time back of a some people finding a well underneath their living room. It was deep, too.

[MADem]

22. A lot of times, people will "plaster over" instead of chunking out the old stuff and putting in new.

The ceiling looks smooth and lovely but it's a cracked mess underneath that smooth layer. Then, you add a little damp, or a little dry and a chunk gives way and the rest follows! Kaboom!

Nowadays, it's hard to find a plasterer to mend a ceiling like that--they'll usually put massive sheets of sheetrock up there instead, and cover over the screw holes and make it look the same. Of course, if you've got fancy plasterwork, medallions and other lumpy little accoutrements, that has to be added after the repairs are made.

That theater is over a hundred years old--I wouldn't be surprised if the ceiling lasted that long, with maybe a coat of a paint and a bit of skimcoat every now and again.

[dipsydoodle]

19. Happened to friends with a plaster and lathe ceiling too.

Only problem was it wasn't their ceiling. They had the upper floor of an extremely large Victorian house and work on the floor of their hallway caused the ceiling of their neighbour below to fall in one single large piece. Didn't go down too well that.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Fire Brigade: Section of ceiling collapsed onto audience

We believe around 720 people were in the theatre at the time. A section of the theatre’s ceiling collapsed onto the audience who were watching the show. The ceiling took parts of the balconies down with it.

Firefighters worked really hard in very difficult conditions and I’d like to pay tribute to them. They rescued people from the theatre, made the area safe and then helped ambulance crews with the injured.

Specialist urban search and rescue crews were also called to the scene to make sure no one was trapped. Fortunately all those who were trapped have been rescued and treated for injuries or taken to hospital.

A number of people were injured and ambulance crews are working hard to look after them. The latest information is that there were around 80 walking wounded, many of whom had head injuries. Around five have been taken to hospital with more serious injuries.

http://www.itv.com/news/story/2013-12-19/rescue-underway-after-part-of-balcony-collapses-in-apollo-theatre-london/

[Ash_F]

7. Any word on cause?

Like snow or water? This is surprising and awful.

[Tx4obama]

8. Old buildings have a tendency to fall apart.

In my small home-town one night a three story brick building on main street collapsed and fell forward into the street.
Thank goodness it was in the middle of the night and no one was on the sidewalk or the street at the time.

[dipsydoodle]

9. There was a storm here over London at about 7pm

but I doubt that contributed to it. More likely age related or possibly associated with the lighting bars. Its Edwardian and was renovated in the '30s. I'm guessing all of the London theatres of similar age will now be checked.

[Ash_F]

11. Sometimes a large deposit of water on a roof can collapse it

especially if it has stress damage from many seasons past. It is the same with ice and snow. It doesn't necessarily have to be a very violent storm. This is due to the high density of water, which makes it very heavy by volume. That's why I asked.

And if there have been long term leaks, rot could compromise load bearing parts of the structure.

Was it a big storm?

[dipsydoodle]

13. The Appolo has got a domed roof with extremely ornate plasterwork.

You could be right but I'd go with dried out plaster for now. If was water related the fire brigade will pick up that from the debris.

It was a hail storm with lightening where I was a couple of miles away to the west - storm was travelling east.

[Ash_F]

20. Hail can pile up and get heavy too. /nt

[dipsydoodle]

21. More here now

A large section of ornate plasterwork at the Apollo fell on to the audience during a production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time.

Some reports suggested water dripped through cracks in the West End venue's ceiling before it came down.

>

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Graham Ellis of the London Fire Brigade said the plasterwork had fallen on to the upper circle, the dress circle and the stalls.

He said: "The injuries to the casualties that our colleagues have spoken about are consistent with that."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25459567

[Ash_F]

23. That wasn't as bad as I pictured it.

Thankfully nobody was killed.

[dipsydoodle]

24. Yes very fortunate there were no deaths.

Aside from that both police and ambulances/paramedics were on the scene in minutes. Also with roads shut University College Hospital was only minutes away too - that's a straight sprint which runs Shaftesbury Avenue where the theater is, Charing Cross Road to other end of Tottenham Court Road : about a mile max.

Daily Mail has an aerial picture of the main external roof amongst others.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2526644/Audience-members-trapped-balcony-Apollo-Theatre-collapses-performance.html

Chances are that's almost wholly lead covered with same gauge as some of our church roofs. If so I know for fact its anticipated life is over 2000 years ! It may be as you suggested before that water ingress has caused the problem. Could have built up over time and last night was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Doubtless all will become clear when a thorough investigation is completed.

I'd forgotten that a chunk fell from the ceiling onto the stage of the Aldwych Theatre last September furtunately missing the cast. Most of our London theatres are the same'ish age.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. That has been mentioned in reports

by someone who was inside, I think (but I can't be sure about that).

[dipsydoodle]

17. There's also mention now

of a lightening strike. I was in by Hammersmith Bridge and could see it lighting up the sky over central London.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. The roof of Crandall's Knickerbocker Theatre in DC

caved in on January 28, 1922, during what came to be known, at least in DC, as the Knickerbocker Storm. The calamity is still the biggest loss of life at one time in DC. Not only that, but the storm still holds the record for snowfall in DC. That storm used to hold the record for snowfall in Baltimore too, but the record there was broken in February 2010.

Knickerbocker Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbocker_Theatre_(Washington,_D.C.)

[alp227]

12. K&R + UK media sources:

The Guardian

BBC

The Telegraph

Reuters

The Independent

Second building disaster in the UK in recent memory; last month a police helicopter crashed on the roof of a pub in Glasgow.