Emergency crews responded late Friday afternoon to a structural collapse report in the lower level parkade at Uptown Mall after a vehicle incident.
When emergency crews arrived, they discovered a vehicle had crashed through a concrete wall on the lower level parkade, causing a partial collapse of an area that was part of the Walmart at Uptown Mall.
Several workers inside a commercial walk-in freezer were trapped by the collision.
Saanich Fire and Rescue and Police were on scene at approximately 4:30 p.m., according to a tweet from the Saanich Police Traffic Safety Unit.
It was unclear how many workers were trapped in the incident. Saanich Fire said the Walmart employees were freed by rescue teams.
Shortly after 5 p.m., Saanich Fire tweeted that a building engineer and inspectors were en route to assess the structure.
The driver of the vehicle was treated for minor injuries by BCEHS.
Saanich Police asked that people avoid Uptown Boulevard if possible, and to be prepared for disruptions on Blanshard, Douglas, Saanich, and Ravine Roads.
“Our officers are on scene to investigate the cause of the crash and expect to be on scene for the next several hours,” said Cst. Markus Anastasiades in a press release.
Witness video below sent in by Chetan Jairath:
