Nine people were reportedly in a basement meeting room when plaster, metal, wires and other building materials fell. Four of the injured were transported to Rhode Island Hospital with both back and neck injuries, while another – who suffered a broken ankle and an arm laceration – was transported by a rescue unit to Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.

Rescue Lt. William Quinn, also a safety officer for Pawtucket Emergency Management Services, conducted triage shortly after the call, which came in at 8:35 p.m.

“I saw the ceiling had collapsed, and began working on the injured people inside,” Quinn said. “The building inspector (John Hanley) told us it could’ve been age, but who knows? It’s all being investigated right now.”

Hanley, a Pawtucket building official, said afterward: “I would say it was between 40-50 years old … I’m surprised it collapsed, because there was no evidence of an outside force, such as water damage or a dance floor above it. It appears to me it was just age (that brought it down).”

The current building, a red-brick white-spired structure on the Park Place green was opened and dedicated in May of 1936, according to Times archives. It replaced the original structure built in 1884 and destroyed by fire on April 18, 1934.

“I’m guessing about 400 square feet of ceiling came down; it had wire lath and a two-coat plaster finish,” said Hanley. Structurally, the building is fine. The floor/ceiling assembly is in good structural condition. It’s only the finished plaster in the ceiling that failed.”

A male lay officer for the church, who asked not to be identified, stood outside as fire and other officials surveyed the damage.

“I found out about an hour ago,” he told a reporter at 9:35 p.m. “I heard there was some kind of ceiling collapse in the kitchen/gathering hall area. I was only about 12 minutes from here, and I can say – when I heard … I just beelined here because I got the call that there was an incident involving minor injuries.”

Also on scene was Harvey Goulet, Pawtucket’s Director of Administration. Goulet said that Mayor James Doyle was vacationing out of the country.

“I got the call at about 8:30 p.m. from our Emergency Management Director, Bob Howe, who told me there was an incident over here. I was just told the ceiling fell, and that people were underneath (the materials). The good news is they are all considered minor in nature at this point.”

“I was a general contractor for 15 years, and I’ve been in construction for 28 years. I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Hanley, the city building official for the past three years. “I just think, over time, that the lower ceiling slowly was sagging, and the soft tiles were hiding the damage. Nobody saw a problem because of the second dropped, suspended ceiling.”

According to Times archives, church members had launched a major $115,000 renovation campaign in 1986 to address “critical and urgent needs,” according to Times archives. It was not clear when the addition of the church hall had been built.