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New Jersey deck collapse: 3 in trauma, 21 treated and released from hospital

First responders work the scene of a building structure damage in Wildwood, N.J., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019. Officials say several people were injured when decks collapsed on one another at the three-story residence on the Jersey Shore.

WILDWOOD, N.J. — A large deck collapsed at a home near the Jersey Shore on Saturday, injuring almost two dozen people as firefighters flocked to the area for an annual convention, authorities said.

According to The Associated Press, the multi-story deck caved in about 6 p.m. in Wildwood, which is hosting the New Jersey Firemen's Convention this weekend. Wildwood Fire Department officials said the deck was attached to a seven-unit multiple family condo building.

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"The 2nd and 3rd floor front decks suffered a complete 'pancake' type collapse trapping multiple people," the City of Wildwood Fire Department Chief Daniel F. Speigel said in a statement Sunday.

Those trapped were freed and taken to hospitals within an hour, the statement said.

Officials transported about 18 of those injured. The others drove themselves or had someone drive them to Cape Regional Medical Center. Most of the injured have been discharged, officials told WPVI early Sunday.

By Sunday morning, NJ.com reported that 19 people were treated and released from the hospital, including the three children, according to Cape Regional Health System spokeswoman Susan Staeger. NJ.com reported they were released by 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Three of the 22 remain hospitalized, and were transferred to a trauma center. Staeger did not know the extent of their injuries.

Earlier, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Jennifer Tornetta told NJ.com that three people were at the facility's trauma center, but she would not give the names of the people at the request of family members.

"The City's Fire Department and the City's Construction Office are working with the building owners, engineers, and contractors to properly secure a hip-roof that is currently unsupported due to the collapse," Speigel said.

Speigel did not say what caused the collapse. No deaths have been reported and the cause of the collapse is under investigation, the AP reports.