Snow causes arena collapse in Alberta town

The weight of the snow on the roof of the Alliance, Alberta arena has caused the structure to collapse.

The collapse happened on Tuesday morning around 11:00, after a week of heavy snow fall. No one was injured when the roof came down.

Just days before the collapse, skaters at the arena noticed wood splinters on the ice surface and alerted authorities. Several town residents had been working on the roof trying to clear the snow off the surface, and they had planned to restart that work again this coming weekend.

It's still unknown how much the insurance on the arena will cover.

The arena was built in 1948, and was a landmark for many in the town.

Muriel Fankhanel, the mayor of Alliance, says it's a tough blow for the community.

"It's a big loss, it's a historical loss, it's a centre." she said on Wednesday. "A lot of emotion going there. It's been here a long time."

At the time of construction, it was the second enclosed arena in the province, and cost $25,000 to build.

Bill Alcorn helped build the arena in 1948.

"Everybody pitched in." he said "As a young boy the only thing they would let me do is go up on the roof and hammer boards in. It was all flat boards, there was no plywood in those days."

The arena had undergone several renovations over the years, including re-enforcing roof support beams.

Alliance is two hours southeast of Edmonton.