N.B. fire marshal urging residents to clear roofs of snow

MONCTON – New Brunswick’s fire marshal is urging residents to have their roofs cleared of excessive snow and ice buildup.

“It can ultimately lead to the collapse of a building or a roof and if there are individuals in a building obviously that can pose a great risk,” said fire marshal Doug Browne.

Riverview’s Kevin Steen carefully watched his step Tuesday as he cleared the heavy snow load off of his roof.

“Normally it’s not too bad but the roof is pretty slick now,” he said.

But he says the fear of his roof collapsing outweighed his fear of falling.

“Last year we saw some cracks come down into some structural beams into the house and the dry wall.”

But Browne suggests people not clear off their roofs themselves.

It’s something Mona Brown of Riverview has no intention of doing.

“I kind of thought about going up by a window and then I thought, it’s not worth it,” she said.

She hopes the team of professionals she’s hired will arrive on Wednesday to do the job. She says hasn’t slept well since Sunday’s storm.

“I saw there was a curling club that the roof had collapsed and I am thinking, ‘oh my goodness let me get through the night,'” she said.

She’s talking about the roof on the Halifax Curling Club which collapsed suddenly last weekend under a heavy snow load.

Browne says a roof can collapse with little or no warning. But there are warning signs to watch out for which could indicate that your roof is not structurally sound, like listening for unusual cracks and pops in the house.

Browne says homeowners who are worried about their roof should call their local fire department or a structural engineer to have the home inspected.