Halifax Curling Club suffers partial roof collapse due to snow

The roof at the Halifax Curling Club has collapseddue to the weight of the snowfall in Halifax, according to Halifax Regional Police.

The building was vacant at the time.

Lee Kempster lives in the neighbourhood and made the 911 call after he heard the roof collapse and saw debris flying through the air. He then put on his tennis shoes and ranto the club to see if anyone was in there.

Normally, theres runners in there on Sundays, but luckily, it didnt look like there was anybody around today with this weather," he said.

The force of the collapse was so strong, it blew the side doors open, says Kempster.

"I actually went in a couple feet and kept yelling for people until emergency services showed up."

Kempster says with the alarm going off, he wouldn't have been able to hear anyone anyway.

He says the inside of the building was a mess, and he could only see a bit of the floor.

"There was like insulation and all kinds of stuff hanging down. There was water pipes burst. There was a gas line running in there, he said.

Insurance officials are at the site evaluating the damage, says the club's past president, Jane Everist.

"It's a huge loss," she said.

Everistsays it's too early to say if they will rebuild, or what will happen to the events scheduled for the club in the meantime.

Maureen O'Brien lives next door to the curling club and was sleeping when the collapse occurred. The collapse woke her up.

"It was just a really loud series of bangs and crunches," she said.

The O'Brien family home is besidethe club and is only separated by a small alley.

The club had a flat roof andis located at 948 South Bland Street in the south end of Halifax.