Roof of vacant community centre near Quebec City collapses

The roof of the Jean-Marie Roy community center partially collapsed Saturday morning in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Que., located not far from Quebec City.

The section housing the centre's gymwas affected, said MayorSylvain Juneau.

"We want to believe that it's because of the snow," he said, noting there have been several roof collapses in recent months.

"On the other hand, there was no exceptional accumulation on the roof [this winter]."

Even though the roof had not been cleared this winter, Juneau saidthe building was inspected last week and "nothing abnormal was found."

The mayor speculateda concrete wall's collapse may actually be to blame. Either way, structural engineers will be inspecting the damage next week.

The building, which has been vacant since June, was set to be demolished next summer.

"Even though it is destined for demolition, it has been monitored because we want to keep part of the structure,"Juneau said.

Now, he said, whether a portion of the building will be saved will need to be determined.

The new community center is scheduled to reopen in 2020.