More than 20 buildings, including the Barneveld Volunteer Fire Station, collapsed after receiving several feet of snow last week.
The lake effect blizzard began on February 14th and did not stack legs on the roof until February 19th.
A major part of the Barneveld Firehouse in Oneida County collapsed on February 22 after station members discovered structural damage and attempted to remove snow from the roof, according to a news release.
Videos taken from across the street from Beaver Meadow Veterinary Clinic showed the moment the station building fell under the weight of the snow.
Department officials said members were at the station when they heard the “pop sound” around 3pm and found structural damage to the station's front truss.
Some members began removing equipment from the station, while others tried to remove snow from the roof. A local contractor was called and a ladder truck arrived from the Stittville Fire Station to assist.
“While some of our crew members were removing snow from the roof, others began to think of plans to reinforce the structure,” the station leader said in a statement. “After a while, the building became too unstable, members were removed from the area and the building was determined to have collapsed after a while.”
No one was injured during the collapse.
Department equipment will be moved to Trenton Highway Division facilities, while other equipment will be stored at Newport and Floyd Fire Stations.
“Barneveld Vol. The Fire Station is ready to respond as it has always been since 1838,” the fire station statement said.
Barneveld is located in the Trenton settlement and has also reported multiple structural collapses from the snow over the past week.
The Trenton Recycling Centre and Old Town Highway buildings partially collapsed this week, according to town officials. Last week, the Barneveld Fire Station responded to the collapse of a building in the Mapledale business district when the transport and receiving buildings of Hudson's forest equipment collapsed.
In nearby Oswego County, officials said 26 structures had been cave down due to the snow. More than 6.5 feet of snow was recorded in parts of Oswego County last week during the lake effect snowstorm.
