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Family injured after 100-foot scaffolding collapses

SAN ANTONIO — Three people suffered minor injuries while running to escape falling debris when 100-foot scaffolding rained down Thursday in downtown, officials said.

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Strong winds caused the scaffolding around the AT&T building to collapse at 9:30 p.m., damaging a church and crushing multiple cars, the San Antonio Fire Department said.

"If it would have been rush hour, it would have been a lot worse," San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told KSAT.

A father, mother and child who were seated at a nearby bus bench suffered minor scrapes and bruises. They narrowly escaped the collapsing debris, KABB reported. They were not hit by the scaffolding.

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church was significantly damaged.

"So we have pieces of scaffolding, big chunks that have been knocked off on the third floor of the building," Hood told KABB.

The street will be closed until further notice so crews can work to remove the extensive, twisted pile of metal and rubble. At least five cars are beneath it. The necessary equipment is not immediately available, WOIA reported.

"They will have to come in and cut with torches. They're going to have to come in with heavy equipment to lift it. They're going to have to put it on trucks to take it out, and then they're going to have to move these cars," Hood told KSAT.