School roof collapses under snow

OLYMPIA, Wash., Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The roof of a high school in western Washington gave way under the weight of heavy snow that has blanketed the northern Pacific coast.

The flat roof of Capital High School in Olympia was covered with about a foot of snow early Thursday when 2,500 square feet collapsed, The Olympian reported.

While the area of collapse was relatively small, much of the school suffered water damage when sprinklers went off and from a broken water line, Peter Rex, a school district spokesman, said. The collapse, just before 5 a.m., also triggered fire and burglar alarms.

School officials and firefighters had their Christmas Day interrupted when they were called to assess the damage. Rex said that no one could get into the building because it had not been examined by a structural engineer.

The district hopes to have the building back in shape by Jan. 5, when students are scheduled to return.

"If we can get in and it's a fairly confined area, then we can operate around it," Rex said.