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Moviegoer yells ‘Run!’ before ceiling collapses in 100-year-old cinema, WA video shows

Firefighters responded to a ceiling collapse at a theater in Washington as two people watched the new “Captain America” movie.
Firefighters responded to a ceiling collapse at a theater in Washington as two people watched the new “Captain America” movie. Wenatchee Valley Firefighters, Local 453

Moviegoers heard noises before the ceiling collapsed at a historic cinema in Washington, news outlets and fire officials said.

The incident happened at about 8 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Liberty Cinema, the Wenatchee Valley Firefighters, Local 453, said in a Facebook post.

Sun Basin Theatres, which owns the cinema, did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Feb. 28.

“They heard some pops and cracking and the gentleman stood up and took a peek,” Wenatchee Valley Fire Department Battalion Chief Cam Phillips told KING-TV. “(He) walked up toward the screen and as he looked up, he said, ‘Run!’

A video shows debris from the ceiling covering movie theater seats.

At approximately 8 PM, Wenatchee Valley firefighters responded to a reported ceiling collapse at Liberty Cinema. Two...

Posted by Wenatchee Valley Firefighters, Local 453 on Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Fire officials said no one was injured in the collapse, but the incident is still under investigation.

The two guests were watching “Captain America: Brave New World,” KOMO reported.

“Talk about an interactive movie experience... just not the kind you want!” the fire agency said.

Liberty Cinema opened in 1919 and has been entertaining the community for over a 100 years.

The movie theater is listed as “temporarily closed” on Google.

Wenatchee is about a 150-mile drive east from Seattle.

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This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Moviegoer yells ‘Run!’ before ceiling collapses in 100-year-old cinema, WA video shows."

Helena Wegner
McClatchy DC
Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.
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