Calgary arenas will be inspected after the roof collapsed at Fairview Arena on Tuesday.
It was a busy arena with many families coming and going. People in the building on Monday saw cracks forming in the ceiling and alerted the city which evacuated the building, but before crews could look at the structure, the roof caved in.
“We had friends who were on the ice and heard all the cracking and they got off quickly,” said Kristen Sabo, whose son plays hockey. “It's a bit more closer to home for us because we knew people who were there.”
“Should never have happened at Fairview,” said Jon Clarke, who also has a son who plays hockey. “Kids should never be put in that situation. We are far overdue for new resources and facilities. I hope they really look at the impact that could have had collapsing with four hockey teams, two in the dressing room, two on the ice, what could have potentially happened, it would be devastating.”
Beginning on Monday, the city will inspect all 50 arenas in the city, starting with older ones like Fairview, which is 46 years old.
“Age and typology, so we know that the Fairview was a certain age, we know the construction was a certain type, and that’s what we are going to focus in on,” said Marco Civitarese, Calgary Building Services.
The city says ice time will be affected in the city as groups that used Fairview will seek accommodation elsewhere.
“The season is over in a couple of weeks for us and I think most of Hockey Calgary is wrapping up by the end of March, so it's a good time to do it in the spring or summer,” said Sabo.
Meantime, crews are spending the weekend trying to determine the exact cause of the collapse at Fairview Arena, and beginning the selective demolition of the building.
