PARK CITY, Utah, April 5, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Park City Fire District responded Wednesday afternoon to another roof giving way under a heavy snow load.
“No one was home at the time of the collapse, no injuries reported,” according to the district’s evening press release on social media on the garage roof collapse of a Pinebrook home. “All utilities have been shut off to the structure.” Six of the agency’s emergency units responded as well as the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and the county building department.
“The roof or the entire structure can fail if the snow load exceeds the weight the building was designed to shoulder,” according to the post, which noted 12 inches of dry snow equals 5-6 pounds per square foot of load and 3 inches of wet snow also equals about 5 pounds per square foot of load.
“After responding to several collapses caused by this unprecedented snow load in recent days, the Park City Fire District would like to emphasize to homeowners the importance of inspecting their homes for signs of structural stress.
“These include any new and obvious sagging, bowing, or cracks of interior walls, and audible cues of creaking or cracking sounds. We encourage homeowners to hire professional contractors to address and mitigate any concerns they might have, and discourage folks from climbing onto their roofs to remove snow due to the inherent fall risk.”
