The roofs on two buildings in Soldotna collapsed Friday after a series of significant storms that dumped snow throughout the region.
Both collapses involved large, flat roofs, said Dan Jensen, senior captain at Central Emergency Services Fire Department. No one was injured in either collapse.
Three snowstorms pummeled Southcentral Alaska during the last few weeks, creating challenging road conditions, canceling school and leaving feet of snow throughout the region. Jensen estimated there was about 2 feet of snow in Soldotna from the storm on Sunday and Monday and another 3 or 4 inches from Wednesday to Thursday.
Fire officials in Anchorage said Friday they had not received any reports of collapsed roofs.
In Soldotna, firefighters were called to the Spenard Builders Supply on Funny River Road around 6 a.m. Friday for a report of a collapsed roof, Jensen said. No one was inside the building when roughly a third of the roof caved in near a back office area, he said.
Firefighters discovered the collapse caused a gas line break, which crews monitored, he said.
Spenard Builders Supply said on social media that everyone was safe after the “partial roof collapse” happened overnight, adding that “we are still assessing the damage and not sure when we will reopen until the assessment of the repairs is complete.”
A few hours later, just after noon, crews were called to IDEA Homeschool on Kalifornsky Beach Road because employees reported the roof was falling in, Jensen said. Employees evacuated by the time firefighters arrived and shut off utilities.
IDEA Homeschool posted on social media that it would be closed until further notice. Officials from both businesses could not immediately be reached Friday afternoon.
Friday was the first time Jensen had ever seen a roof collapse in his 11 years working with the fire department.
There’s more concern for collapses on buildings with flat roofs, Jensen said, but homeowners should be aware of the risk and clear roofs.
“The snow load’s weight will increase quite a bit if that snow gets wet,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get the roofs cleared prior to it getting even heavier if it warms up.”