Heavy snow causes garden centre roof to collapse at Penticton RONA

A roof collapsed under the weight of heavy snow at RONA’s garden centre in Penticton.

Emergency crews responded to the incident this morning, Jan. 12. RONA staffers were immediately accounted for, Rob Trupp, assistant chief with the Penticton Fire Department, said in an email.

“With the help of management and staff, we managed to remove the snow from a section of the remaining roof for safety and shovelled a large pile of snow from the doorway into the garden centre,” Trupp said.

The collapse occurred "due to weight of snow," he said, adding that the area has been cordoned off for safety.

READ MORE: Spain: 2 construction workers killed by school roof collapse

A staffer with the local RONA location said the store is temporarily closed but was unable to provide comment.

A message with RONA’s head office was not immediately returned. A message with the Penticton RCMP has also not yet been responded to.

Emergency crews in Penticton responded to a roof collapse at RONA this morning. | Credit: SUBMITTED/Penticton Fire Dept.

Heavy snow caused significant damage to the roof at RONA’s garden centre in Penticton. | Credit: SUBMITTED/Penticton Fire Dept.

— This story was updated at 1:47 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, to add new photos.


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Dan Walton

Before joining the ranks of InfoTel, Dan’s byline could be found in newspapers in Penticton, Peachland and Oliver. Prior to his arrival in the South Okanagan, he first sharpened his chops as a reporter at a radio station in Brighton, Ontario, and then newspapers in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, and Invermere B.C.
From quilting competitions to crimes against humanity, Dan isn’t afraid to cover any topic. Always seeking out the best angles - whether it’s through the lens of his camera or the voices of his Interviews – he delves into the conflict and seeks out the humanity in every story worth telling.
Dan is always happy to hear from readers. To get in touch for any reason he can be contacted at (250) 488-3065 or dwalton@infonews.ca.