Meditation centre in Essa Twp. evacuated amid roof collapse, structural failure

The Vipassana Centre was evacuated Wednesday night after the roof collapsed.

A meditation centre in Essa Township was evacuated Wednesday night after part of the building collapsed.

Emergency crews were dispatched around 6:40 p.m. to 6486 County Road 56, the Vipassana Centre, following reports of a structural failure.

Officials say all people inside the building safely evacuated before the roof gave way.

Firefighters isolated utilities to the structure and established a safety perimeter around the building due to concerns about a possible secondary collapse.

Essa’s Deputy Fire Chief Gary McNamara said there were no injuries in the incident.

“The building is designed to hold between 100 to 150 people in a auditorium format with multiple rooms for meditation,” said McNamara.

An Essa building official attended the scene and posted the structure as unsafe for occupancy. Hydro was also called in to assist.

The exact cause of the collapse has not yet been determined. Officials say recent snowfall in the area has not been ruled out as a contributing factor.

Fire officials and building authorities are expected to return to the scene for further investigation, along with representatives from the corporation’s insurance company.