Weighed Down Roofs Collapsing Day After Snowstorm
WORCESTER (CBS) - There were some narrow escapes from collapses in Worcester and Auburn a day after sleet and freezing rain saturated commercial and residential roofs dangerously burdened with two feet of snow or more in some cases.
Reginald O'Rourke said he had been working under an industrial roof at Creative Packaging on James Street in Worcester when it caved in under a couple of feet of snow and he ran for his life.
"The sound was sickening...You heard cracks, a lot of cracks and when it came down that was it," said O'Rourke.
WBZ-TV's Ron Sanders reports in Worcester.
Worcester firefighters say a 40-foot aluminum smokestack on the building was compromised and a cinderblock wall bowed out by the collapse.
"When these things let go, very seldom are you going to get a warning. It can just be a total collapse," said District Fire Chief Clifton DeCourcy.
A Worcester building inspector ordered employees evacuated from the building. "We have four building inspectors plus the commissioner and we're all out straight...It's just going to be a major problem now and if we have snow on Saturday, it could be even worse," said Inspector Paul DiBenedetto outside Creative Packaging.
A short time later, a three-decker on Winthrop Street began to collapse.
18 neighbors were evacuated from apartments on both sides. "We heard creaking for days but we thought it was icicles or snow coming off the roof," said Harmony Rahim whose bedroom abuts the wall that collapsed and who was evacuated.
Worcester Building Commissioner John Kelly quickly made an emergency demolition order. He said about two and a half feet of snow on the roof had not been cleared.
"We have had advisories sent out probably since last Thursday or Friday through the city web site, for able-bodied people, or contractors to get up on the roofs," said Kelly.
In neighboring Auburn, the arched roof of Interstate Battery on Route 20 collapsed. The owner says first there was creaking then a sudden thump.
"It was really loud, like a lot of pressure. Our ears popped, everything. It was just it was pretty scary," explained Arelis Stawiecki, owner of the business.
