Heavy snow causes New York firehouse to collapse as firefighters narrowly avoid injury
More than two dozen buildings, including the Barneveld Volunteer Fire Department, collapsed after parts of Central New York received several feet of snow last week. A lake-effect snowstorm started Feb.14 and did not let up until Feb.
19, piling feet of snow on roofs.According to a news release, the main part of the Barneveld Firehouse in Oneida County collapsed on Feb.22 after station members found structural damage and were trying to remove snow from the roof. Video taken from across the street at Beaver Meadow Veterinary Clinic showed the moment the station building went down under the weight of snow. Department officials said members were at the station about 3 p.m.
when they heard “popping sounds” and discovered structural damage to the front truss of the station. While some members began removing equipment from the station, others tried to remove snow from the roof.A local contractor was called in and a ladder truck from the Stittville Fire Department arrived to help. “While some of our crews were removing snow from the roof other members started coming up with a plan to start shoring up the structure,” station leaders said in a statement.
“After a short time it was determined that the building had become too unstable, and our members were removed from the area and the building collapsed a short time later.”No one was injured during the collapse. Department equipment was moved to the Trenton Highway Department facility and other equipment is being stored at the Newport and Floyd fire departments.“Please be rest assured that the members of the Barneveld Vol.Fire Department are ready to respond just like we always have since 1838,” a statement from the fire department said. Barneveld is located within the Hamlet of Trenton, which also reported multiple structural collapses from snow over the past week.According to town officials, the Trenton recycling center and Old Town Highway building both partially collapsed this week.
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