Wild winds toppled a gas station canopy in Middletown early Wednesday evening, and officials say the owner's quick thinking kept everyone safe.
Hafeez Mirza, owner of the Citgo station at 572 Washington Street, said an employee saw the canopy start to sway around 1:30 p.m. as winds of up to 50 mph whipped the state.
"When I got here, I saw it swinging a little bit, so I said, 'Shut the place down,'" Mirza described. "I was worried, but what can you do? The wind was so bad. The good thing was nobody was around."
It turned out to be a fortuitous call. About two hours later, around 4:30 p.m., the canopy came crashing down. Surveillance cameras mounted above the gas pumps captured the collapse.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, and officials say the damage could have been much worse.
"The owner was fantastic. He shut it down – as soon as he saw it swaying, he shut everything right down, the electric and everything, so there was a never a chance of explosion or anything," explained Middletown Asst. Building Official Bill Lardi.
Crews are securing the canopy to prevent damage to two gas pumps that were spared this afternoon.
"Right now we are just making it as safe as we can for the night," Lardi said.
He added that severe weather is likely to blame for the collapse.
"We're looking at metal fatigue. You see where it broke over there, and this column broke over here, and just a combination of the heavy snow and the wind, it just weakens everything up," he said.
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It's not clear how long it will take to fix the damage or how much it will cost.
