The roof of Calgary’s Fairview Arena collapsed on Tuesday, just one day after city engineers deemed the building unsafe and ordered a full evacuation.
According to a release from the City of Calgary, the roof collapsed at around 4:45 pm on February 20. No one was inside the building at the time, and the cause of the collapse is currently under investigation.
On Monday, February 19, fire crews had attended the same building to assess the structural integrity of the roof. The Calgary Building Services’ Safety Response Team was brought in, and a cease occupancy order was issued for the building in the interest of public safety.
Since the collapse, fire crews have assessed the ammonia in the building, shutting it off along with all utilities to the building.
The City states that no one is allowed to enter the arena, as there are dangers of a further collapse.
Organizations that utilized the space in Fairview Arena, such as Indefinite Arts Centre, are now searching for temporary spaces to continue their programming.
Please note that all programs are cancelled until further notice due to the arena roof collapse. We will contact as many of our affected artists as we can. Please share with those who may be impacted by this cancellation.
— Indefinite Arts Centre (@IndefiniteArts) February 21, 2018