Roof collapses at Capital High School

Roof collapses at Capital High School

A broken ceiling piece hanging above a hallway is reflected in pools of water after a 2,500 square foot section of roof at Capital High School collapsed Thursday Dec. 25, 2008. (AP Photo/The Olympian, Steve Bloom)

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Story Published: Dec 25, 2008 at 10:49 AM PDT

Story Updated: Dec 25, 2008 at 7:19 PM PDT

By KOMO Staff & News Services

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OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A 2,500-square-foot section of the roof at Capital High School collapsed early Thursday morning, sending a cascade of water and snow into the school.

Olympia Assistant Fire Chief Greg Wright said the roof appears to have caved in due to the weight of snow, ice and water on top of the building.

No one was at the school when the roof collapsed.

Firefighters were called to the school just after 5 a.m. when an automatic fire alarm and a burglar alarm went off. When crews arrived they found water flowing from the building and a natural gas leak.

After shutting off gas and power to the school, firefighters were able to go inside to begin shoring up parts of the building.

Wright said the library appears to have suffered the most water damage since it was in the area where the roof collapsed.

City inspectors and school officials will work to determine how much damaged was caused and what work will need to be done before the school can re-open, Wright said.

Olympia building official Tom Hill said his initial inspection Thursday showed that a roof truss had broken. He said an engineer would need to take a closer look at the rest of the school's roof to make sure none of the other trusses have been damaged.

"Until they actually get in and begin some of the clean-up efforts...we won't be able to see if additional areas have been compromised or broken," Hill said.

The school's 1,450 students were scheduled to return from winter break on Jan. 5.

The school was opened in 1975. In 2006, a $10.5 million remodel of the high school was completed, including a new student commons, a 400-seat auditorium, an auxiliary gym and modernization of the library.

Lt. Ralph Dunbar of the Olympia Fire Department says the school has a flat roof. He advises homeowners and others with flat roofs to make sure storm water is able to drain and clear snow if it is safe to do so.

Peter Rex, a spokesman for the Olympia School District, told The Olympian newspaper he would be meeting with a structural engineer and the school's insurance company.

He said it remains to be seen what will happen when school is scheduled to reopen after the winter break.

"If we can get in and its a fairly confined area, then we can operate around it." he said.

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