Six injured after floor collapse at Tamworth wedding venue
A floor collapsed during a wedding at the Preserve at Chocorua in Tamworth, New Hampshire, sending dozens of people into a basement area, state and local fire officials said. The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office said the collapse happened around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and that six people were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Officials said the collapse occurred while a wedding party of about 140 people was present inside a building area described as the Sap House at the venue. A joint release from the Tamworth Fire/Rescue Department and the State Fire Marshal’s Office said the incident left no fatalities.
The Fire Marshal’s Office said the floor buckled and created an opening measuring about 20 feet by 20 feet. The collapse sent about 70 people into the basement beneath the room where the wedding ceremony was set to take place.
Officials said several people were trapped by fallen beams and by farm equipment stored on the lower floor. The Fire Marshal’s Office said it was unclear how many people were treated at the scene, and investigators were still determining the extent of injuries at the time of the later update.
In a release late Saturday, the Fire Marshal’s Office said that before first responders arrived, other guests and staff helped some people who had fallen climb out of the basement with the aid of ladders. Officials said those people were also rendering first aid to people with minor injuries.
Tamworth is a town of about 2,800 people about 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of Concord, near the western border of Maine. The Fire Marshal’s Office said it and the Tamworth Fire/Rescue Department were investigating the cause of the collapse, and a spokesperson said investigators believed the building was over capacity before the floor failed.
A Fire Marshal’s Office photo released with the update showed a chandelier and white bunting decorating the ceiling above the buckled floor boards. The photo also showed stacked benches that had been used for seating for the wedding before the collapse.