The collapse was reported at about 11:14 a.m. The structure that collapsed is a strip mall under construction just north of the Burger King restaurant, 2814 Fifth Ave. S.

According to Conrad, it’s believed a strong gust of wind caused the wood structure to fall. Winds were blowing at about 18 mph on Wednesday with gusts just over 30 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Des Moines.

One worker was reportedly 14 feet in the air at the time of the accident.

Both workers who were injured were able to walk to an ambulance on scene. Both are believed to have relatively minor injuries, Conrad reported. They were transported to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center for further treatment.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Pieces of lumber lay in a pile Wednesday after this structure at the Crossroads Plaza unexpectedly collapsed. Two people suffered minor injuries and were transported to UnityPoint Health - Trinity Regional Medical Center.

Two Burger King employees heard a loud noise when the structure fell. They were standing near the dumpster on the outside of the restaurant.

“It was a loud crashing noise,” said an employee who identified himself as Gary. “I ran down the fence line to make sure no one was underneath. We could already hear the ambulances.”

The Burger King employee said luckily no one was trapped.

“There was actually still three guys up on the top of it on the far side that’s still standing,” he said. “When I went over there, 90 percent of the building they had built was laid down. It seemed like everyone was OK. A couple of people might have gotten hit by some boards on the way down. Everybody was lucky.”

The owner of the property is Crossroads Plaza Development LLC, of Ankeny. The structure being built is a strip mall that will house businesses like Teriyaki Madness and a laundromat named Clean Laundry.

The general contractor for that project is DCI Group, of Des Moines.

The Messenger placed a call to a Crossroads Plaza developer Wednesday night. That call was not immediately returned.

The Fort Dodge Police Department was also on scene. The incident remains under investigation.