The roof of North Medford High School's gymnasium collapsed Tuesday morning under the weight of snow following a strong winter storm last week.
The Oregonian reports no one was injured in the collapse, a spokesperson for the Medford School District said. School officials had noticed a crack in a roof-supporting beam on Friday and closed the gym and the surrounding area to students as a precaution, according to the district.
"The structure has performed well for 60 years, and the crack developed under the extreme weight of approximately 700,000 pounds of snow -- a significant load," the district said in an email to parents on Tuesday morning. The school's approximately 1,700 students were sent home early following the incident.
Footage provided by the school district shows the roof's gym starting to sink at 10:46 a.m. yesterday. It quickly collapsed moments later, sending dust and some materials into the air.
The incident occurred just months after the district completed summer renovations on the gym to make the building earthquake-proof. The district said "there is no indication at this time that the seismic upgrade had anything to do with the damage," saying that the retrofitting strengthened the roof structure.
The district said it is consulting with engineers and developing a plan to repair the gym.
