‘So miraculous’: Cedar City bakery owner grateful nobody was hurt in sudden ceiling collapse

CEDAR CITY — The ceiling of a Cedar City dessert shop suddenly collapsed Wednesday night, sending a large section of drywall and insulation crashing down below.

Palette Bakery & Ice Cream Parlor owner Erica Farmer looks at damage to her store caused by a ceiling collapse on Nov. 30, 2022 in Cedar City, Utah | Photo taken Dec. 1, 2022 by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Palette Bakery & Ice Cream Parlor owner Erica Farmer said nobody was hurt in the incident, which happened at 6:12 p.m., according to the time stamps on the footage from the store’s security cameras.

As seen in the video above, workers were preparing food in the kitchen when the ceiling came crashing down. One worker immediately went out into the front retail area to make sure there weren’t any customers out there. As it turned out, just the three employees were inside the store at the time and nobody was injured, Farmer said.

“You can see for yourself how close it came to smashing them,” Farmer told Cedar City News at the scene on Thursday afternoon as she shared the surveillance footage. “Thankfully, I mean, miracle of miracles, people were just at the right place so they didn’t get landed on.”

“Just two hours earlier, all my kids were in the kitchen putting together cookie kits,” Farmer added. “The fact that it fell in when it did I’m like, ‘Thank the heavens above, that was perfectly timed.’ So if it had to come down, that was a great time for it to happen.”

She said they had customers standing at the ice cream counter just two minutes before the ceiling came down.

“And so, the fact that we didn’t have customers at those tables or at this ice cream – my customer service employees who were supposed to be working the front were sick that day – just the lineup of events is so miraculous that it couldn’t have happened at a better time,” she said. 

Farmer said she hasn’t been able to figure out why the collapse happened, as there did not appear to be any visible water leakage or damage to the roof above. 

The 99-year-old Union Pacific Railroad Depot building, home to Palette Bakery & Ice Cream Parlor, Cedar City, Utah, Dec. 1, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Cedar City Fire Chief Mike Phillips said, “There was no reason for it to collapse except it has that old lath and plaster, so just over time, weight and gravity, it failed. Just an old building.”

The store is located on the north end of the historic building at 255 N. Main Street, which once housed Cedar City’s Union Pacific Railroad depot. Built in 1923, the building served as downtown Cedar City’s railway stop until it closed down in 1959.

“Fortunately, the gal that was standing there had just moved away from it when it fell,” Phillips added. “It did tear out some electrical stuff but there was no fire. There was nobody hurt.”

Farmer spent most of the day Thursday at the store fielding phone calls and visits from customers, vendors and the insurance adjuster. The store, which had been gearing up for the Christmas holiday season, is closed until further notice.

“We don’t know where we go from here,” she told Cedar City News on Thursday. “We don’t know the next steps. We’re hoping to get answers today, but this is where we’re at right now.”

Farmer expressed her appreciation for the people of the community who have sent messages of support and have asked how they can help.

Damage to Palette Bakery & Ice Cream Parlor caused by a ceiling collapse on Nov. 30, 2022 in Cedar City, Utah. | Photo taken Dec. 1, 2022 by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“I don’t exactly know how to put it into words, but we have a pretty awesome community here,” she said. 

“It’s pretty cool how many people, how many customers, people I don’t know, who’ve just reached out in any way possible, wanting to jump in and help,” she said. “Like, they would be standing right outside the doors with brooms and gloves right now if I let them. I told all of them, ‘No, wait. We have to wait.’” 

Only after the insurance company has finished its documentation and the building has been cleared for occupation can the cleanup work begin, Farmer explained.

“They want this bakery back up and running,” she added. “We’re so grateful. This is a pretty cool place to be.”

Farmer said she plans to keep her customers updated on the store’s status via regular social media posts on Facebook and Instagram.

Farmer said on Monday that an account has been set up to help cover their employees’ lost wages and give them some cash before Christmas.

Updated Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m. to include information about a fundraising account on behalf of the employees.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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