Heavy Snow Causes Partial Roof Collapse at RJ Corman Railroad Services

More than a dozen people were inside but there were no injuries

WEST FARGO, N.D. — Shortly after 3:00, West Fargo crews responded to a partial roof collapse at RJ Corman, a railroad service company.

West Fargo Fire Chief Dan Fuller says the weight of the snow is what caused the collapse. More than a dozen people had been working inside the building but no one was injured. Fire crews had to shut off three gas meters and check to make sure there were no gas leaks. Fuller says it’s the biggest issue they have after a roof collapse because it can cause an explosion.

“A lot of these large buildings will have rooftop heating and cooling units so their furnaces will be up in the roof and they’re usually large gas lines that run through those so we saw it this morning at the fire and collapse at Trail King,” Fuller said.

Fuller says there’s really no way to predict if a roof will collapse. He says because of the heavy snow we’ve had, people should remove the snow as soon as possible.