Grocery store roof collapses in California's Central Valley

OAKDALE, Calif. - The roof of a Cost Less Food Company store in a Central Valley California town collapsed on Monday, fire officials say. 

What we know:

Officials from the Modesto Fire Department said the roof collapse happened at the Oakdale store at around 2:30 p.m. Two adults in the vicinity of the roof collapse were safely removed from the area before the fire department arrived. 

At least one person was taken to a hospital for medical care, fire officials said. They did not have specifics about that customer's injuries. 

Grocery store roof collapse  in Oakdale, Calif. (March 17, 2025) 

In a post on social media, fire officials said the section of roof that collapsed was roughly 20 by 20 feet. It is not clear if the roof collapse was weather-related. The cause of the collapse is not yet known. 

A sign on the store's front door reads, 'Sorry for inconvenience. Please try our Riverbank location.' The store is closed for at least a few days. It is not clear when they will reopen. 

"At first we thought it was thunder," said Cost Less employee Jonathan Boyd. "But it was a lot louder. It felt like static in the air. As soon as we got over there, you know….store director opens the emergency door to get the people out." 

Fire officials said the collapse also damaged the store's fire sprinkler pipes, which released water into the store when the collapse happened, causing some flooding.