Cold weather blamed for structural concerns at local mall

KINGSTON, Mass. -- Extreme cold resulted in a threat to shoppers at a local mall Thursday afternoon.

The Independence Mall in Kingston was evacuated when a six by six foot section of the ceiling came crashing down near the food court.

Firefighters said there was a major malfunction with the sprinkler system.

Cold temperatures caused a sprinkler head to burst resulting in the structural concerns in the building.

Crews were on the scene all evening working to remedy the problem.

The mall hopes to reopen Friday morning.

(Copyright (c) 2009 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)