A birthday celebration turned into a frightening ordeal when a deck collapsed during a three-year-old's party in West Des Moines, Iowa. The incident occurred as Hilary and Tony Loffredo's son was about to blow out the candles on his Spider-Man-themed cake. Around 20 guests were present when the deck suddenly crumbled beneath them. Hilary Loffredo told KCCI, "The kids were crying and we all were screaming, 'Oh my gosh, what do we do?'"

Emergency services responded quickly, upgrading the situation to a mass casualty incident due to the number of people involved. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, although Tony Loffredo required stitches on his knee. According to The Daily Mail, the deck was built by a contractor hired by the previous homeowners, who reportedly "cut corners and forgot things."

West Des Fire Marshal Mike Whitsell emphasized the importance of deck inspections, stating, "How old is your deck? Do you have rotted boards that are on there? Have you had your deck inspected?"

Despite the scare, the Loffredos managed to salvage the day by relocating the celebration. Hilary said, "We rushed out to the store and just bought a cake. We sang happy birthday to him not here."

The family expressed relief that the incident wasn't worse and shared their experience as a reminder to others about the importance of ensuring structural safety in their homes.

Mel Taylor