Roof collapsed on Hebron home

HEBRON, Conn. (WTNH) - A devastating collapse at a home in Hebron is an unfortunate reminder of the danger some home-owners are facing.

That collapse happened on West Street, following some warning signs.

Hebron firefighters were first called to this West Street home when the homeowner heard creaking and noticed cracks in the ceiling. Two hours later the house came down.

"This is the garage area right here and the roof it pushed the sides out and the roof collapsed down onto the ceiling," says Fire Marshal, Randy Blais.

This is the first single family home Randy Blais has seen succumb to the weight of ice and snow, and it's not the only home with literally tons of snow on its roof. Like many, these folks didn't take action until they saw signs of trouble.

"There was two people on the roof cleaning the snow off the roof when it happened. They both managed to ride the snow down and get the roof off safely," says Blais.

"I haven't heard any cracking or anything like that and like I said no leaks so just got to keep an eye on and hopefully everything will be okay," says neighbor, Capri Winman.

The time to do something may be before homeowners hear and see evidence their roof is under distress. Especially with more storms expected. Sue Porter used a roof rake and a helpful neighbor to get her roof cleared.

"Glad we got it done. Now we don't have to worry about it. Too bad that the other people have lost everything like that," says Sue Porter of Hebron.

The good news is that the folks had insurance and no one was hurt, but this is a tremendous hardship. They weren't even able to get back in to retrieve their personal belongings and will now have to figure out what to do with what was their home.