North Medford High School gym’s roof collapses under weight of heavy snow; no serious injuries reported
By KOBI NBC5 Staff
MEDFORD, Ore. (KOBI/KTVZ) — The roof of the North Medford High School gymnasium collapsed late Tuesday morning, prompting immediate evacuations and school closures for the remainder of the day and on Wednesday as officials assess the damage, KOBI-5 TV reported.
The collapse, which occurred just before 11 a.m., followed days of structural concerns stemming from last week’s heavy snowfall. Medford School District Executive Director of Security, Leadership Development, and Facilities, Ron Havniear said a hairline fracture in one of the roof trusses was first detected Friday night. By Saturday morning, one beam was significantly damaged, and by Tuesday, the entire roof had caved in.
No students were inside the gym at the time of the collapse, but one worker near the building entrance was pushed out by the force of the falling structure. “He fell onto the asphalt and scraped his knees,” Havniear said. “Out of an abundance of precaution, he was transported to the hospital for evaluation.”
MEDFORD, Ore. — The roof of the North Medford High School gymnasium collapsed late Tuesday morning, prompting immediate evacuations and school closures for the remainder of the day and on Wednesday as officials assess the damage.
The collapse, which occurred just before 11 a.m., followed days of structural concerns stemming from last week’s heavy snowfall. Medford School District Executive Director of Security, Leadership Development, and Facilities, Ron Havniear said a hairline fracture in one of the roof trusses was first detected Friday night. By Saturday morning, one beam was significantly damaged, and by Tuesday, the entire roof had caved in.
No students were inside the gym at the time of the collapse, but one worker near the building entrance was pushed out by the force of the falling structure. “He fell onto the asphalt and scraped his knees,” Havniear said. “Out of an abundance of precaution, he was transported to the hospital for evaluation.”
“We started hearing a train-like noise behind us, and suddenly debris was flying out of the top,” Havniear said. “The gym is completely collapsed, and it’s going to be a full rebuild.”
Three trusses on the eastern wall were completely broken, with two crashing onto the gym floor earlier Tuesday morning when NBC5 News was present in the building and could hear the creaking and cracking of the structure. Ceiling tiles and debris littered the floor which was wet from the sprinkler systems.
The school had already taken precautions over the weekend, closing the gym and fencing off the area. Emergency Response Buttons were activated Tuesday morning when the first two wooden trusses fell on the west end of the gym, and first responders quickly arrived on the scene.
The school was briefly placed on lockdown but resumed normal operations after authorities confirmed there was no immediate danger to students - that is until about an hour later, when the entire roof collapsed.
The gym had undergone seismic upgrades in recent years, which Havniear credited with preventing an even more catastrophic outcome.
