TIMMINS -- The Timmins fire chief, Tom Laughren, is reminding residents to shovel the roofs of their homes after one collapsed in Schumacher.
It happened around 9:15 Monday evening on Prospector Street.
Laughren says, fortunately, no one was hurt.
He says a mother, father and one child were able to get out of the house, escaping injuries.
The cause of the roof collapse has not yet been confirmed.
But Laughren says this comes as a reminder to others to remove snow and ice buildup from their homes’ roofs.
While Laughren says instances of roofs caving in due to snow loads are rare in the city, they can happen.
"We do have enough winter left as well. So, there’s no reason to believe we’re not going to get our fair share of snow here. And if that goes on top of the snow that’s there now ... and ice builds up, I would urge people to be diligent about that for sure," said Laughren.
Calling 9-1-1 might be the first call a homeowner makes in this kind of a situation, but an insurance broker would likely be the second.
Donna Mongeon is an insurance broker with PAIB Insurance. She says there are some instances where a roof might not be covered.
"For example, if your roof is over a certain amount of years, 20 to 25 years is usually the limit,insurance companies can put an exclusion for any damages resulting from issues with your roof because it hasn’t been updated in so long," said Mongeon.
Officials say if your roof has 12 inches of snow on it, that could amount to thousands of pounds of stress on your roof. They also advise to look for ice dams that can build up under the snow, as one cubic foot of ice weighs 57 pounds.
Authorities say reducing the stress caused by snow and ice on your roof is a good way to minimize the risk of leaking and cave-ins.
