Part of a house in Old Town collapsed on Monday as a result of the amount of snow that had collected on the roof, a dramatic example stretching well beyond the slopes of the impact of an extraordinary winter of snowfall in the Park City area.
The house is on the 1300 block of Park Avenue, a busy stretch of the road, and the damage is highly visible from the street. The Park City Fire District in an online posting said it was called to the scene around 1:30 p.m.
The Fire District said people were ordered to leave buildings on the 1200 block of Park Avenue and the 1300 block of the road as a result of a natural-gas leak. Dominion Energy was summoned to stop the leak, the Fire District said.
Firefighters shored the house with wooden columns. Fire District images posted online showed the firefighters assembling the columns on Park Avenue, carrying them to the house and then positioning then against a side wall. Caution tape was posted.
The Fire District by 4 p.m. had cleared from the scene, saying nobody was found inside during a search. There were no injuries reported in the collapse. A section of Park Avenue in the vicinity of the house was temporarily closed to traffic during the emergency response. Two engines, a medic engine, a vehicle built for heavy rescues and an ambulance were among the vehicles that were sent to the scene. The Park City Police Department was also present.
The Fire District on Monday also responded after a chimney collapsed at an address on Norfolk Avenue. A garage on Gorgoza Drive, in Jeremy Ranch, also collapsed on Monday. The Fire District said there were no injuries reported in the Norfolk Avenue or Gorgoza Drive cases. Both were blamed on snow and ice that built up on the structures.
The incidents on Monday followed another stretch of heavy snow. There are significant amounts of snow remaining on roofs in many locations across the Park City area with there being few opportunities over the past several months for clearing before another round of snow arrived. The National Weather Service forecast midday on Tuesday called for up to another 3 inches of snow on Tuesday night and a small amount on Wednesday. Dry conditions were forecast from Wednesday night until Monday.
The Fire District said Parkites should be cautious of snow and ice shedding off buildings.
“Please be aware of roof avalanches. Don’t take chances, keep your home and surroundings safe by clearing away the snow and ice accumulation,” Pete Emery, the deputy chief, said in an online statement.
The 2022-2023 winter will almost certainly become one of legend in the Park City area. Snowfall totals soared above what is typical, prompting Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort to make rare decisions to extend their respective ski seasons. There were giant snow banks in certain Park City locations even before the additional precipitation of this week. The Police Department has received numerous reports related to the snow since early in the winter, including problems on the roads.