Heavy snow likely caused roof to collapse in downtown Orillia

Officials believe heavy snow accumulation is behind a roof that collapsed on a building in Orillia.

Another section of downtown Orillia is closed after the roof of a vacant building collapsed Monday evening, adding to a tough stretch for local businesses and residents.

The collapse happened around 6:30 p.m. at a property on West Street North, near Mississaga and Coldwater streets. While a cause hasn’t been officially determined yet, Fire Chief Chris Ferry said the roof likely gave way under the weight of heavy snow, causing structural damage.

“The walls, they are not collapsed yet, they are just leaning,” Ferry said.

No one was inside the building, which was previously home to Walking On A Cloud, a shoe store that has been vacant for some time.

Orillia resident Krissan Bandit said she heard the moment the collapse happened. “We just heard some, like blast, like, Boom!,“ she described. ”We were scared, like what was happening?”

The area surrounding the building has been cordoned off, with officials urging people to stay clear while engineers assess the damage.

“It could collapse,” said city councillor and downtown business owner Ralph Cipolla of the structure. “Depends if we get a wind or the snow has not all melted up, to my understanding talking to the fire department, so it could collapse even more. So please stay away from the area.”

The collapse is the latest challenge for the city’s downtown. A month ago, a major fire destroyed an historic building on Peter Street South, and heavy snowfall this season has already made daily life difficult.

“Bad things come in 3s, so now, as far as I’m concerned, we’ve got the rest of the year [and it’s] going to be amazing,” said resident Dan Doe.

While it’s expected the building on West Street North will have to come down, assessments are underway. The area will remain closed until further notice.

With files from CTV’s Dana Roberts