A roof on a downtown Woodstock business has collapsed, and the walls might be next.
The city has closed Clay Street between Hutchins and Church streets out of concern that more of the structure could collapse into the street. The city put out an alert that the street had closed but did not give a reason.
Bob Thompson, the owner of Thompson’s Appliance at 318 Clay St., said he discovered when he arrived to work Wednesday morning that the front half of his building had collapsed.
Thompson confirmed that no one was inside when part of the roof caved in, and no one was injured.
Thompson said he tried to remove what he could from the back of the store, but the city has condemned the building, and he cannot go inside. He said he’s afraid the building might be torn down.
Thompson said he has “suspicions” about what caused the collapse, but an engineer will have to confirm the cause. He said the building is about 75 years old.
Woodstock Deputy Police Chief Ray Lanz said the roof is believed to have collapsed under the weight of recent heavy snowfall, but that was not yet confirmed.
Thompson said he wants to keep the business running, but he’s concerned the collapse may put him out of business. The business is 98 years old.
Joe Czysczon, an operations manager for the city, said the city got a call around lunchtime that the building’s roof collapsed, and the walls and front facade were buckling.
As of about 3 p.m. Wednesday, one side of the block had been shut down to foot traffic as well as vehicles.
Tammy Ortmann, co-owner of Ortmann’s Red Iron Tavern next door to the appliance store, said police and fire officials cleared them to open Wednesday afternoon.
Nick Brooks of the Moose Lodge across the street from the appliance store said he had been getting calls about whether Wednesday night bingo was going to be canceled. But he said the lodge was open as usual.
According to a news release from the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, representatives from Nicor and ComEd were on location securing utilities as a precaution.
“Further assessments will determine when access to the area can resume,” according to the release. “Residents and visitors are asked to avoid the area and follow posted closures.”