Three Houghton County Buildings Succumb To Winter In Last Two Weeks

Three buildings in the last two weeks have experienced weather-related damage in Houghton County.

The roof of the banquet hall connected to The Irish Times in Laurium came down in the early morning hours of February 10th.

Last week, the former Usitalo Service Station in South Range buckled under what appears to be the heavy weight of snow and ice.

Local residents say the business closed down about a year ago and no injuries were reported.

Then on Saturday morning, the historic Kirkish Furniture building in downtown Houghton suffered major damage when the upper portion of the rear of the building collapsed.

Fortunately, no one was in the building at the time.

Though the cause of the collapse is still being determined, having three buildings damaged this winter should serve as a reminder of the pressing need to clear off snow-covered roofs.

The normal “rule of thumb” is to shovel off roofs every 100 inches of snow. But this year’s odd weather patterns have produced more wet snow and periods of thaw and refreezing have resulted in more ice.

The mixture means that roofs are bearing more weight than in a normal winter.

Residents and business owners are urged to clear their roofs, if possible, before any further damage incurs.