5 Critically Hurt In N.J. Petco Roof Collapse

POSTED: 12:38 pm EST March 4, 2005
UPDATED: 4:38 pm EST March 4, 2005

EATONTOWN, N.J. -- Authorities think everyone who was inside a New Jersey pet supply store when its roof collapsed has been rescued, but they’re bringing search dogs in, just in case customers are still trapped inside.

AP Image
Firefighters rescue people trapped in the rubble at the site of a PETCO store after an explosion in Eatontown, N.J.

Authorities called in a search-and-rescue team from Fort Dix army base to respond to the one-story building collapse.

Five people, including four employees, are in critical condition at hospitals in Eatontown.

A damaged gas line outside the Petco triggered an explosion that caused the first floor of the one-story building to pancake down into the basement.

A construction worker told the store’s staff about the broken line, and employees evacuated customers and were in the process of evacuating animals when the blast went off.

A Petco spokesman said a female manager used her cell phone to direct rescuers to where she was trapped in the basement. Another employee said she was grooming a dog named Cuddles when a manager told her to get out. She grabbed the dog and ran outside.

An animal safety official said 100 to 200 small animals and many more fish were likely inside. Monmouth County SPCA director Ursula Goetz said her staff is ready to remove the animals once the scene is declared safe.

Goetz said the store has exotic birds, guinea pigs, ferrets, gerbils, mice and other small animals as well as fish.