Quebec school evacuated due to snow accumulation on the roof

FILE PHOTO - Snow is removed from a roof (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

An elementary school was evacuated a little before noon Wednesday in St-Elie-de-Caxton, about 40 kilometres north of Trois-Rivieres.

The evacuation was due to an accumulation of snow on the roof that caused cracks to appear on the school’s ceiling.

Engineers are inspecting the structure and strength of the roof, while other workers are removing the snow on the roof. They don’t know when the school will re-open.

In total, 134 students ranging from pre-schoolers to 6th-grade students were sent home.

Snowfalls are particularly extreme this winter. At the beginning of the school year, the Commission Scolaire de l’Energie hired engineers and building structure experts to inspect the 50 schools in the region.

At the moment, snow has been removed from the roofs of about 40 of the 50 schools under the authority of the CSDE.

St-Elie-de-Caxton also had a problem with the structure of the roof. Snow removal firms have been hired.