Two horses have died and five others were rescued after a barn collapsed under heavy snow in Westford, Massachusetts, Friday morning, in just the latest in a spate of roof collapses across the snow-weary state.
Five of the animals were rescued from the barn at Bobby's Ranch at 6 Durkee Lane on Friday afternoon, but the two remaining horses had to be put down.
"This is an act of God - treason," said Heather Cooper. "This is horrible."
Workers at Bobby's Ranch are blaming strong winds and terrible weather for bringing down the building that housed the horses.
Efforts to extricate the animals went smoothly, according to officials at the scene. Crews were clearing snow off of the roof, which is believed to have collapsed from a combination of heavy snow and winds.
The owner of the barn told necn the barn may have collapsed around 4 or 5 a.m. Friday; the owner arrived around 6 a.m. and found it collapsed.
When workers arrived, they found the building bent and disfigured. They were able to rescue four horses. Westford firefighters saved another, but the mangled building made it hard to free the last two.
Local
"We ended up having two horses that did not make it," said Lt. Donald Parsons. "A very valiant effort by everyone that was here on scene. They tried their best to do everything they could."
More than 100 roof collapses have been reported across Massachusetts in just the past week, officials said Thursday, as the Boston area closes in on a historic record for the snowiest winter.
The risk of roofs caving in has prompted cities to crack down on snow clearing, and even inspired Somerville to hire drones to fly above its roofs and inspect them for snow.
Among this week's roof collapses were one at a Tewksbury daycare that forced it to evacuate all 30 kids inside and another at the Sutton Square shopping center in Sutton.
