Inflated roof collapses at Vancouver stadium

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The inflated roof at a 60,000-seat stadium where the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be held collapsed Friday as heavy, wet sleet fell in the western Canadian city of Vancouver.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The inflated roof at a 60,000-seat stadium where the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be held collapsed Friday as heavy, wet sleet fell in the western Canadian city of Vancouver.
    There was no event going on in the stadium and city fire officials said no one was reported hurt or in danger.
    A section of roof came loose at a concrete rim on the building and began flapping in the wind, witnesses said. The fabric dome then came down into the bowl of the stadium.
    The stadium, which is home to the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League, was evacuated and surrounding roads have been closed.
    B.C. Place is slated to be the site of the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Winter Games. It will mark the first time that the Olympic ceremonies are held indoors.
    The organizing committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games issued a statement expressing confidence in the safety of B.C. Place.  
    “B.C. Place has a highly experienced team of professionals and we have every confidence in the ability of their engineers to rectify the situation," said Guy Lodge, an organizing committee vice president. "It’s a terrific facility that has a rich history of hosting some of B.C. and Canada's most memorable moments and we look forward to hosting our ceremonies in B.C. Place for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games."   
    Trevor Holness was taking up the turf after a soccer camp earlier this week and had just returned from lunch when he noticed speakers had come down from the ceiling.
    Holness said he heard a loud sound and that the roof looked like someone was shaking out a rug and that he then watched as a tear ripped up the side of the roof.
    ''It was very scary,'' Holness said. ''The sound was the scariest about it. It sent shivers down your spine.''
    On May 1 during estimates at the B.C. legislature, then-sports minister Olga Illich said that ''apparently, the roof is expected to last another 15 to 20 years if it's maintained properly in its current state.''
  
— The Associated Press