Seattle police and fire personnel are investigating a Columbia City scene where an SUV drove into a hair salon in a historic building, injuring seven people. The structural integrity of the historic building may be compromised after a concrete support pillar was demolished, said Seattle firefighters on the scene.

Rainier Avenue South and South Ferdinand Street were closed near the scene. Most lanes opened up again about 90 minutes after the crash. The closure affects traffic in the heart of the Columbia City neighborhood.

The incident occurred about 1:20 p.m. The hair salon, the Carol Cobb Salon, is neighbored by two restaurants in the same building —Grecian Delight and La Teranga. They were also damaged in the crash with the car largely coming to rest inside Grecian Delight.

The driver, a woman believed to be in her 40s, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Harborview Medical Center as a precautionary measure, Seattle Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore said.

Three people in the Greek restaurant – a mother, a father and their 10-year-old daughter – were trapped by the SUV and extricated by crews. They, too, suffered minor injuries and some burns and were taken to Harborview.

Inside and near the salon, two women and a boy believed to be 6 to 8 years old were struck by the SUV. The boy and his mother suffered burns and were taken to Harborview, while the third person was hit by debris, but declined aid, Moore said.

The woman who declined aid said she works next door at Bikeworks and had just picked up lunch when the SUV went careening into the building. She heard screaming immediately after the crash.

Salon owner Carol Versey-Cobb, who has owned her corner business for 20 years, said she just finished a significant remodel of the building. The same thing happened to the building about 10 years ago when a car drove into the business, she said while surveying the damage. However, this time the damage was much more significant, she said.

Crews are assessing the structural integrity of the building; the crash caused two large cracks, reports say. Hydraulic bracing from the fire department is currently supporting the building, Moore said. Meanwhile, the building was turned over to the owner, who must bring in an independent engineer to examine the structure.

The SUV remains inside the building.

Authorities have not announced what caused the SUV to veer into the structure.