Roof Collapse at Abandoned Steel Plant

A huge, house-sized section of roof of an abandoned steel mill on North Main Street collapsed Tuesday afternoon. There were no injuries.

The dilapidated former Westford Anodizing building had been vacant for years. During the last several snowstorms, about two feet of snow piled on its roof. That snow gained weight Tuesday morning when it rained, with the snow acting essentially as a sponge.

It was unclear if the heavy snow was the exact cause of the collapse. A Fire Department spokesperson could not be reached Tuesday, and the town's building commissioner could not be reached.

The collapse occurred at about 1 p.m.

A section of Broadway Street over the Stony Brook Reservoir was closed off Tuesday afternoon. The section of the roof that collapsed is located just feet from the road.

Bob Suprenant, whose Broadway Street home is a stone's throw from the building, said he wasn't surprised it collapsed.

"Thank God it was vacant and no one got hurt," he said.

There was another smaller hole in the roof on the other side of the structure.

Westford Anodizing was established in 1971. It had manufactured steel plates.