The roof of a vacant downtown building on West Street, formerly housing the long-standing shoe store Walking on A Cloud, collapsed Monday evening under the weight of heavy snow.
Orillia Fire Chief Chris Ferry confirmed that emergency services were called to the scene at 6:30 p.m. when they found the middle portion of the roof had caved in.
“The one wall in the alleyway was leaning into the alley, and the front facade was leaning towards West Street,” said Ferry, noting no injuries were reported, as the building had been vacant for over a year.
The collapse has resulted in road closures on West Street, directly in front of the Orillia Opera House, as well as the closure of a nearby parking lot and alleyway.
"When the roof came down, it blew the glass out of the front window, which ended up on West Street," Ferry explained. "We didn’t want to take any chances with the front wall leaning out."
Due to a road closure downtown on West Street, the #Orillia Transit Terminal has been temporarily relocated to Peter Street and Mississaga Street today, Feb. 25.
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Pedestrians are advised to avoid the east side of West Street near the affected building and to use the Opera House side instead. The road closure is expected to remain in place until the front wall is secured.
It took firefighters approximately five hours to secure the area last night, ensuring that utilities — including hydro and gas — were safely disconnected. Surrounding businesses are operating this morning as usual with no impacts.
A demolition seems to be coming for the building, which is considered a "total loss." Ferry notes the building was a residential home several decades ago before being converted into a retail space.
"An unsafe order was placed on it by the building department, and I believe it’ll be a demolition,” said Ferry, noting the timeline for a demolition is not yet known, as the owner is in the process of arranging for engineers to assess the site.
It could be the second demolition of a downtown building within a month. On Jan. 21, the landmark building at the corner of Peter and Mississaga streets burned down; the $4-million blaze destroyed the building. It was systematically demolished in the days and weeks after the blaze
Ferry says significant snow fall this winter has already caused fire crews to respond to several similar incidents around Orillia.
Earlier this month, the roof of a modular home on West Street collapsed, while a large greenhouse was also destroyed by snow. On Sunday night, two large structures, each home to about 30 boats, collapsed at Starport Marina in Ramara Township.
“The snow is going to get heavier as it soaks up the rain, and we might see more issues," he warned.
Ferry advised property owners to be vigilant about snow accumulation on their roofs, recommending professional inspections if necessary.
“If they have concerns about the snow load on the roof, they should hire someone to take a look,” he advised.
He also warned of additional winter hazards, including large chunks of ice falling from roofs and damaging gas meters, leading to gas leaks. In some cases, snow removal has resulted in exhaust vents being blocked, Ferry noted, said that has sparked a carbon monoxide risk.
"We've had a few calls where people have shovelled their roofs off and then the exhaust vents for the fresh air intakes for the furnace and hot water tanks have been covered by snow," he said. "That leads to carbon monoxide in the house."