Roof of recycling center partially collapses in San Jose

Video: San Jose building collapses

San Jose fire crews are at the scene of a building collapse. The cause of the collapse is under investigation.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Fire Department responded to the scene of a partial roof collapse at a recycling center in San Jose on Friday afternoon.

What we know:

The fire department said all employees at the facility, located at 215 Leo Avenue, are accounted for.

Search dogs and drones were requested for visual and thermal reconnaissance of the debris pile to search for any potential patrons or others who may have been trapped.

Firefighters have now confirmed both their initial search and follow-up efforts are clear and no one is trapped in the debris.

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The San Jose Fire Department responds to a partial roof collapse at a recycling center. April 4, 2025.

KTVU flew SkyFOX over the situation when it learned about the collapse just before 4 p.m. The fire department said the collapse happened just after 3 p.m.

James Dobson, deputy chief and fire marshal with the San Jose Fire Department, said a front loader made contact with a column of the concrete building. Dobson said there were people inside the structure dropping off recycling materials when the collapse happened along with workers. However, everyone managed to escape.

At around 5:30 p.m. crews began to demobilize. The fire department said the incident was under control. They thanked the San Jose Police Department for providing them with the drones.

PG&E crews arrived at the scene late in the evening and the street was blocked off. The utility crew will be here overnight to restore power to the surrounding businesses. Streets will remain closed until the crews clear the area.

What we don't know:

It is not clear how many people were inside the building during the collapse.

What's next:

The building will be red-tagged, fire officials said. A structural engineer will have to be brought in to repair the collapsed structure. The San Jose Building Division will be involved in this process.