Anchorage officials say ice accumulation may have contributed to fatal roof collapse

Anchorage Fire Department responders with shovels near a collapsed roof.
One person was killed Friday in a roof collapse in South Anchorage. (Anchorage Fire Department photo)

Anchorage officials are considering ice accumulation as one of the causes of a roof collapse that killed a woman at a CrossFit gym last week.

Acting Anchorage Building Official Ross Noffsinger said the weight of the ice overloaded a portion of the roof. But he said other factors may also have contributed to the Friday collapse.

The owners of the South Anchorage building have hired a structural engineer to evaluate the cause of the failure. Noffsinger said the city is in touch with the engineer and will release more specific information once the reason for the collapse is clearer.

RELATED: Should you shovel your roof now? Here’s why you might want to.

Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her atlruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Lizhere.

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