ROSTRAVER, Pa., Feb. 15 (UPI) -- About 100 adults and children fled in a "stampede" as the roof of a ice rink collapsed around them in Rostraver, Pa., one witness said.
"This could have been tragic," said Justin Shawley, assistant fire chief.
The roof fell Sunday at Rostraver Gardens. No one was injured, authorities said.
Fire officials were investigating whether a buildup of ice and snow trigged the collapse of the roof's midsection, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Monday.
Tara Banasick, 32, was working at a concession stand when she heard loud cracking like "the worst thunderstorm."
"The cracking kept happening, pieces of the roof started to collapse, and I rounded everyone up and started them toward the back exit," Banasick said. "It was like a stampede."
Teams of 9- and 10-year-old children, some from as far as Ontario, Canada, were competing in a youth hockey tournament in the 50-year-old building, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Monday.
