MILFORD -- A facade at the Westfield Connecticut Post mall partially collapsed Monday morning, slightly injuring a shopper and forcing several stores to close. About 200 linear feet of a dry wall facade fell on the shopping center's upper level about 11:15 a.m., striking a 27-year-old male shopper, said Capt. Chris Zak, spokesman for the Milford Fire Department. The man suffered minor abrasions on his back, and was treated at the scene by firefighters. He was later transported to Milford Hospital, officials said. His name was not immediately available.
The façade has a metal frame behind it, and has "substantial weight,'' Zak said. Wires hung from the framing and broken pieces of drywall were lying on the floor in front of PCX, a youth apparel store that had opened July 1.
The façade had also peeled from the front of three adjoining stores: Motherhood Maternity, Gymboree and Hot Topic.
Thomas Raucci, the city building inspector, ordered the fifth store in that area, Lane Bryant, closed as a precaution.
Raucci inspected the section of the mall for structural damage Monday afternoon. The four stores would be allowed to reopen as soon as the debris was removed and the area determined to be safe, officials said. That could happen as soon as Tuesday morning, Assistant Fire Chief Robert Healey said.
The section of the mall where the facade fell was last renovated prior to 2000, mall spokeswoman Lee Sterling said. "The cause is under investigation and the mall is cooperating fully,'' she said.
The rest of the mall remained open for business as usual, she said.
Yellow caution tape blocked off a set of stairs leading to the affected stores from Door 4, the closest mall entrance, but a seating area and an escalator at that entrance were available.
A series of kiosks in the center of the lower level, below where the drywall had fallen, were also cordoned off for safety reasons. That area included a T-Mobile counter, a photo booth and beverage vending machines.
Zak said that a row of columns that flank the corridor in front of the five affected stores will be checked to make sure that no structural damage occurred. The columns appear to support the skylight and dome that enclosed the mall in the late 1980s.
There was no construction going on in the area where the section of facade collapsed on Monday. A man-lift was in the center of the mall, enclosed by metal gates, as part of a project to remove an escalator that led to the old food court, mall officials said. A new food court was built as part of the 2006 expansion.
Plastic sheeting covered a portion of the damaged wall in front of the affected stores on Monday, as air handlers removed dust from the area.
Most shoppers appeared to be unaware of the incident.
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