Canopy collapses at Indianapolis International garage - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Indianapolis - A section of a canopy over the parking garage at Indianapolis International Airport collapsed late Saturday.

An airport spokesperson says the front half of a fabric canopy on the 5th level of the airport's parking garage tore around 11:45 Saturday night. The canopy collapsed under the weight of ice and snow.

"It's shocking," visitor Blase Knobl said on Sunday.

"Expensive airport. Things go wrong with snow and ice," said employee Ann Caric.

Some rental cars on the first level of the garage were damaged from falling ice, but no people have been reported injured in the collapse. Emergency crews are currently dealing with the possibility that the back half of the canopy could collapse as well.

"It was good timing. In between flights, so nobody was in the terminal, just employees," said Airport COO Michael Medvescek.

The canopy is made of fabric similar to inflatable sports stadiums, like the former RCA Dome, and is about 2,000 feet long. Three sections of the canopy collapsed Saturday.

"The rest are still intact, but a few of them are sagging, so we're trying to figure the proper way to remove that," Medvescek said.

The fifth floor of the parking garage, which is used for employee parking, remains closed. However, airport officials say there are plenty of other self-parking spaces available, as well as other parking options.

Ice and snow fell on the escalators below the roof that lead to the airport terminal. Engineers and insurance adjusters are assessing the damage, but officials say none of the metal struts, poles or wires forming the frame of the structure were bent or damaged.

"I'd never been here, so I didn't know what was going on," said one visitor.

"You'd think a city in this area would be prepared for snow, in the least," Knobl said.

"We've actually had a huge snow plan," Medvescek said.

Airport officials say the material that collapsed is the same that covers the exits and cashier booths at the terminal. The Airport Fire Department used water blasts from fire hoses to clear that area Sunday afternoon. Workers have also been in a cherry picker on top of the garage, manually breaking chunks of ice free.

Repair and replacement of the canopy will not be done until weather conditions improve, officials said Sunday.