6 Hurt In Roof Collapse At Atlanta Restaurant

ATLANTA, GA -- Six people were injured when the roof collapsed at a popular Atlanta eatery Monday night. The incident occurred during heavy rains around 8:30 p.m. at Blu Cantina in Castleberry Hill, Patch has learned.

On Tuesday morning, police tape lined the eatery and debris, presumably from the roof, was strewn about in front of the establishment, which is located at 257 Peters Street in Atlanta.

Public safety officials are looking into whether the inclement weather -- sheets of rain cloaked parts of downtown and Midtown Atlanta for about 30 minutes Monday night -- played a part in the roof's collapse.

Although six people were hurt, four were taken to the hospital, Atlanta fire officials said. SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

Tiara James, a customer inside the restaurant at the time, said that things were normal until the abrupt commotion caused a near panic.

"Out of nowhere, the roof collapsed,” she told WSB-TV. “I honestly thought that (the restaurant) was getting shot up, so I was ducking and diving like trying to get over stuff, like, 'Is everything OK?'"

A man who was hospitalized suffered a possible head injury, Atlanta fire spokesman Cortez Stanford said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"One person, a male, was injured more severely than the other individuals,” he was quoted as saying. “That person was conscious and alert, but they did possibly have a head injury."

While officials have not said what the cause of the roof collapse is, they suspect heavy rain. “We are thinking that possibly had something to do with the roof collapse,” Stafford told WAGA-TV. “Sometimes flat roofs accumulate a good [amount] water if there's not enough drainage, or if there's a heavy amount of water and that just accumulates and the drainage can't handle it.”

The restaurant has been closed until further notice.

Image via Craig Johnson / Patch