MANCHESTER, N.H. --
Snow coupled with rain and recent melting has put a strain on rooftops in New Hampshire, and officials said many buildings have become unsafe.
Monday afternoon part of the Beaver Brook Farm and Transportation Museum collapsed.
Ed Gilbert and his wife opened the museum in 1985. The 140,000-square-foot space houses rare pieces. Many were destroyed.
The aerospace section of the museum is in jeopardy.
The Gilberts do not have insurance on the museum and do not know if they will able to rebuild.
Crews headed to 16 Fowler River Road in Alexandria, N.H., on Monday evening. Part of a mobile home collapsed. No one was injured.
Firefighters responded to an alarm at 55 Elm St. in Manchester on Monday and said they were surprised to learn that it was triggered by a leaking roof.
"We found that the third floor is beginning to sag," District Chief Vinnie Toland said. "There's a lot of water damage contributing to the structural integrity of the building being compromised by all the water leakage."
The building is a combination three- and four-story structure more than 100 years old. It houses two businesses, and firefighters said they are concerned that its condition could be dangerous.
"Any type of water, snow, ice -- even melting water leading to a deterioration of the wood itself -- could cause a collapse," Capt. Al Poulin said.
In Weare, N.H., nearly 900 students at the John Stark Regional High School were sent home after custodians noticed sprinkler heads sagging beneath ceiling tiles. School officials said several days of snow and rain created the problem, but they believe they caught it in time.
"We have a crew up on the roof clearing the roof drains," said Jim Crane, school district business administrator. "We think it is a load issue that happened over the weekend."
Engineers were evaluating the building to determine whether it would be safe to open on Tuesday.
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