ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601150069
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DALE CITY
SOURCE: Associated Press
The huge Potomac Mills mall was closed Saturday after the roof began sagging under the weight of snow.
Security guards heard a noise about midnight Friday and found the roof was sagging in a 1,000-square-foot area near the main entrance, said Kevin McGee, battalion chief for the Prince William County Fire Department.
Employees and moviegoers in the mall were evacuated, McGee said. No one was injured.
Inspections Saturday revealed the roof also was sagging in three other spots, McGee said. Those areas were to be closed off when the mall's department stores reopened today. The rest of the mall was to reopen Monday.
``The thing we're concerned with right now is the more serious areas are buckling somewhat,'' McGee said. ``Any melting now, the area is going to drain into the areas that are buckled instead of off the roof.''
Gas service to the mall was turned off as a precaution.
The mall opened in September 1985. It's one of the nation's biggest, with 1.65 million square feet of space and 4,000 employees.
LENGTH: Short : 31 linesby CNB