03/22/2001

By Leslie Gornstein / Associated Press

LOS ANGELES – Scaffolding along the red carpet for Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony collapsed Thursday, injuring five people.

The scaffolding at the Shrine Auditorium was the type commonly used to hold spotlights. The mangled structure, which had stood 20 feet high, fell onto the red carpet that celebrities will use to walk to the auditorium.

Inspectors were trying to determine how the scaffolding gave way, said Fire Department spokesman Bob Collis.

The injured were taken to two hospitals. One person was critically injured and another was seriously injured. A third victim had minor to serious injuries and the remaining two had minor injuries, Collis said.