Roof Collapses at Popular South Windsor Bowling Alley

The heavy snow that has accumulated on rooftops in north central Connecticut has claimed another victim.

This time, it is the Ten-Pin Bowl in South Windsor, a popular center that draws league and recreational bowlers from all over the region. The roof caved in on the south side of the building at about 5:30 p.m., causing a stir on state Route 5, known locally as John Fitch Boulevard.

No one was in the building when the roof collapsed. It is the fifth major roof collapse in north central Connecticut in a week's time. Cave-ins also occurred this week at an auto upholstery shop in Manchester, a vacant former car dealership in Vernon, and a horse barn in Somers. Structural shifting appears to have caused a pipe to burst in the Windsor High School auditorium.

The Windsor High situation sent area superintendents scrambling to assemble crews to clean off roofs over the past two days, adding two more absences to an already tight school calendar. Many districts are considering eliminating school vacations to make up the time. Some schools are closed Friday because of the clean-ups.

The Ten-Pin Bowl has a quonset-hut design with a curved roof. South Windsor Fire Chief Philip Crombie said that the bowling center was closed because structural damage was detected this morning at the north end of the building and all event had been canceled.

Crombie said a structural engineer was called in this afternoon and ownership was about to begin the process of cleaning off the roof when the portion on the south end gave way.

Fire officials closed the area off, but that did not stop onlookers from gawking at the pile of rubble from a distance. Crombie said the building will undergo numerous inspections.

The business is closed indefinitely. As one passerby remarked, ''there won't be any leagues for some time.''