Slater Street reopens after partial garage collapse [Video]

Slater Street in downtown Ottawa has reopened after Wednesday morning’s partial collapse of a parking garage, but the city said efforts to free vehicles still inside the damaged structure continue.

Ottawa firefighters said a 911 caller reported several “bowing” girders in the garage just west of O’Connor Street. Firefighters said they confirmed cracked and broken columns soon after. A large section of the garage collapsed around 4:45 a.m. Wednesday.

There are no reported injuries, but about 50 vehicles remain inside the multi-level garage.

“Essentially the floor dropped and subsequently took out the next floors below, and that was located directly over the entrance, which also unfortunately took out the ramp and ways to get out the vehicles,” Scott Lockhart, the city’s deputy chief building …