New details about the warehouse collapse in Phoenix that killed an employee

PHOENIX, Ariz. — A report from the state’s employee safety agency reveals new information about the roof collapse of a Phoenix warehouse that killed a worker.

On the evening of July 24, eight workers were on site at a warehouse near 42nd Avenue and Van Buren Street.

One of them, Oswaldo Montoya Torres, was in a temperature-controlled room on the north side of the warehouse. The 22-year-old was buying toiletries.

The north wall and parts of the roof collapsed during the storm, which was accompanied by winds of 70 miles per hour, according to a report released Thursday by the Arizona Department of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH).

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The remaining employees took shelter in an office on the south side of the warehouse. They called 911 when they realized he was missing. Rescuers found his body after almost three-day search. The report shows he was still in the temperature-controlled room.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner ruled his death accidental, saying he died from injuries suffered during the structural collapse.

Freeport Logistics Inc., in business for 53 years, operates a 163,200-square-foot warehouse.

ADOSH conducted an inspection and found no violations of state or federal safety standards, ADOSH Director Brian Hudson said Thursday during a public meeting reviewing the report.

An attorney for the man’s family said the family is investigating and is not yet ready to talk about what happened.

In July, Phoenix Fire Department Capt. Todd Keller featured on ABC15 an extensive rescue operation aimed at finding him. Searchers worked 12-hour shifts, bringing in heavy equipment to remove debris and using drones and dogs to locate it.

He said Montoya Torres was a hard worker and a new father.

“We learned he was an amazing man,” Keller said. “He was a great dad.”

Email ABC15 researcher Anne Ryman at: [email protected]call her at 602-685-6345 or call X, formerly known asTwitterANDFacebook.