PARK CITY, Utah — Park City crews respond to the fifth structure collapse just in the past week after a historic snow season, with more challenges still on the way.
According to Park City Fire District Battalion Chief Scott Greenwood, this doesn't come as a surprise.
“All of which appears to be a result of the snow,” Greenwood explained.
Kelsey Brown lives next door to one of the homes where the roof collapsed in Jeremy Ranch. She was inside her home on a work call when she heard the roof sliding.
“I just assumed it was stuff off of our house because that’s been happening the last few days," she said. "So, I didn’t think anything of it until we looked outside and saw the fire trucks and realized that this was something bigger than just a little slide off the roof.”
Thankfully no one was hurt when the roofs of homes or garages caved in.
“It makes you look at your neighbor's roofs and your own roof a little bit differently," said Brown. "Realizing that it can happen to anybody."
People who live nearby and crews say it didn’t look like the owner of this home had been back since winter started. “With second homes, they are typically less likely to have proper maintenance and snow removal. So yesterday as well as this one had no snow removed from the roof all winter,” said Greenwood.
Park City Fire posted that 12 inches of dry snow weigh 5-6 pounds per square foot. Now when it comes to wet snow, just 3 inches weighs the same amount. Wet snow is 4 times as heavy as dry snow, so they recommend getting all of it off so your roof doesn’t collapse.
Greenwood said it’s important to not let the heavy snow accumulate on your structures and to shovel or rake it off.
“Whether homeowners want to take that on themselves to climb up and shovel," said Greenwood. "Or to hire contractors.”
And there are signs to look out for in your homes and structures, so inspect your home regularly. “Cracks in walls, bowing in ceilings,” said Greenwood.
