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Employees of Butler County Land & Title Company, LLC’s downtown Greenville office were counted safe Thursday afternoon, after a false ceiling collapse trapped one man inside the office’s bathroom at the back of the building.

Around 12:30 p.m., the Greenville Police Department, the Butler County Sheriff’s Department, and the Greenville Fire Department responded to a call reporting the land and title business’s roof on its building located at 606 East Commerce Street had collapsed.

Greenville Fire Department Battalion Chief Alvin Sullivan responded to the scene and reported everyone inside the building was safe.

“We’ve had a false ceiling fall in the back side of this building,” Sullivan said. “It had a man trapped in a restroom, but he was not injured.”

According to Sullivan, the building will require rewiring to be safe for reentry.

“Everything is okay other than the building’s going to have to have wiring disconnected to get it safe to be back in.”

Butler County Land & Title Company is owned by Richard Branum, who is also the founder of The Greenville Standard. 

According to Branum, the weight of a false ceiling and light fixtures installed several decades ago over a couple of rooms resulted in the collapse. Electrical repairs will be made quickly, he added, so business can resume as normal.

This article will be updated as new information becomes available.