WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Strong winds caused major damage to the roof of the Rolladium Family Fun Center in Waterford Township Tuesday afternoon.
Part of the roof material ripped off the building located near Highland Road and Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford Township. No one was injured, according to fire officials.
Hear from Fire Chief Matthew Nye about the incident in the video player below:
The damage came as a line of severe storms moved through metro Detroit on Tuesday afternoon with damaging winds. In some cases, the winds reached between 60 and 70 mph, according to the 7 First Alert weather team.
Trees and power lines were down across the area, Waterford Fire Chief Matthew Nye said.
Nye said he found out about the incident around 2 p.m. from his deputy chief who was sent a video from social media.
"I thought it was interesting that a 911 call didn't come in, so I sent our team of investigators out to check it out. They did find in the pouring rain the roof was actively ripping off or it was in the process or it did completely rip off," Nye said.
Once on scene, officials worked to get everyone out of the building. Only a few employees were inside the building at the time of the incident. About an hour before the roof came off, it was an open skate session for senior citizens.
The chief said officials are assessing the damage but said "it looks pretty significant." The inside of the building was also damaged.
He said although there were severe storms in the area, the incident at the Rolladium was unexpected.
"You don't see this very often. Matter-of-fact, this is the first time in my 29 years I've probably saw something like this," Nye said. "It's pretty off for me because as a child, I roller-skated here, I met my first girlfriend here, so it's pretty interesting to see it in this shape."
Tony Anselmi is the former general manager and his mother is the current owner. He said Tuesday was an emotional day, but the support from the community has helped them get by.
“Believe it or not, every car that you see in the parking lot is a customer right now that came to see what they can do. So it’s nice," Anselmi said.
Anselmi added that the cleanup efforts and roof repairs will take days. A reopening date has not been announced, but he said they hope to be back up and running as quickly as possible.
Fire officials worked with engineers, the roofing company and the board-up company to make sure the structure inside is safe. The load of damage is expected to go to a safe location away from the scene, the chief said.
"What looked to be a devastating possibility with maybe tragic injuries or loss of life turned out spectacular in a way that there was absolutely no injures and no loss of life," Nye said.
The Rolladium opened in 1950 and has a roller rink, arcade, party rooms and more.
