Roof Collapses At Big 5 In San Ramon Due To Heavy Rain: No Injuries

SAN RAMON, CA — The roof at Big 5 Sporting Goods at 3209 Crow Canyon Place collapsed early Tuesday morning due to a clogged drain that snapped a major structural beam in the ceiling, according to Ron Marley of the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District.

Police were dispatched to Big 5 at 5:43 a.m. Tuesday after the collapsed roof triggered a burglar alarm, Lt. Tami Williams of the San Ramon Police Department told Patch. Because the collapse happened so early in the morning, no injuries were reported.

“It’s substantial - it’s not like they’re going to reopen without completely rebuilding that store,” Marley said.

Heavy rain caused a major structural beam to snap in half, taking the rest of the ceiling down with it, Marley said. “We call it ‘ponding’ - where drains get clogged and water collects on the roof and it snapped one of the main structural members in that ceiling and it pretty much brought that down,” he told Patch. “It’s a major beam inside that store that was broken that pulled down the fire sprinkler system in that ceiling and the roof and the rest of it.”

Marley said it’s likely the downspout on the roof was clogged with leaves and debris, resulting in a pooling of water. Scuppers designed to collect excess water may have also been jammed.

“Particularly these commercial buildings with flat walls that have parapet walls around the perimeter, it’s not like a gutter on a house or a tapered roof,” he said.

The front exterior wall is bowed out, and water from the roof has flooded a major portion of the store, the City of San Ramon said in a statement. Additionally, fire sprinklers broke during the collapse, and the broken sprinklers and additional water from the roof also flooded the Rite Aid next door.

City inspectors have verified that there is no longer a large load caused by roof water anywhere on the roof.

In the meantime, neighboring Pho Hoa, Jazen Tea, Dos Coyotes Rite Aid, and Leslie’s Pool Supplies are closed as of Tuesday afternoon, though no damage has yet been reported at any of these locations.

Power and gas were shut off in the building to allow inspections, according to a statement from the City of San Ramon. JC Salon, Pho Hot, Rite Aid, and Pho Hoa are all without power, the city said. JC Salon, Leslie Pools and Pho Hoa share power with Big 5. Rite Aid has its own power source, but the city has shut it off at the mean breaker while flood damage is addressed.

The city's building inspector has contacted property managers at each store to request that an engineer look at two side walls to determine if the load shift pushed outward and compromised the integrity of the remaining structure.