Duluth’s Miller Hill Mall roof collapse: Mall remains closed as crews remove snow

DULUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Miller Hill Mall in Duluth remained closed on Wednesday as crews worked to remove heavy snow after the roof partially collapsed earlier in the week. 

Piles of snow entered the mall between Barnes & Noble and Applebee’s after a portion of the roof caved in around 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The mall was not open to the public yet, so only employees and walkers were inside. No injuries were reported. 

The mall was closed on Wednesday as crews used a crane and other heavy machinery to remove large amounts of snow from the roof of the building. There’s still no exact timeline for when the shopping center will reopen, but officials with the mall said they will be closed until at least Thursday.  

"We are grateful there were no injuries as result of a portion of the roof collapsing and for the swift actions of the first responders. Miller Hill Mall will be closed through at least Thursday, March 16, but we are diligently working on a phased opening plan. We will share an update on our website when the property is reopened," said officials with Miller Hill Mall. 

The roof collapse comes after the city got more than a foot of snow over the weekend, adding to its near-record total this winter. The mall wasn’t the first roof officials saw cave in this winter. Duluth Fire chief Shawn Krizaj told FOX 9 on Tuesday they’ve had a few roofs collapse in the area due to the large accumulation of snow. 

"Snow load is a concern this year," said Krizaj. "Obviously, we’ve got record snowfall, you know approaching records. So any business or any private home, you should be clearing the snow off. It’s always a concern."

The fire chief said engineers are working to stabilize the rest of the building which could take a couple of days. 

The mall said to keep an eye on its website for when they plan to reopen.