Accumulated snow brought the roof down at Glenn's Body Shop on South Auburn Street in Grass Valley Sunday afternoon. (Photo by John Hart)

Wood beams cracked and sounded like gunshots, a Grass Valley man said, when he ran from his business as the roof crashed down on Sunday.

Snow accumulation brought the wood-frame building down on Glenn's Body and Paint Shop at 745 S. Auburn St. near McKnight Way and almost caught owner Glenn Warren, 62, inside.

Another wood frame building was caved in on Sunday at 13368 Grass Valley Ave. off Loma Rica Drive, said Steve Major, a Nevada County Consolidated Fire District firefighter.

No one was injured in either building collapse, officials said.

County snowplow crews worked around the clock to clear roads of snowfall that was the heaviest since a storm in early 1990. Firefighters responded to numerous calls about trees into houses, across roads and into power lines.

The snow that hit Western Nevada County starting on Friday left about 5,000 people without power as of Sunday evening, said Ron Lowe, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokesman.

All the outages were weather related and include problems such as transformer burnout, lines down and lines arcing, Lowe said. Crews were so busy Lowe could not get information Sunday evening on how many were working or where they were working, he said.

He did not know when power would be completely restored.

"It all depends on the weather," Lowe said. "We need a break in the storm."

Snow showers are expected today, with highs near 40.

Many businesses through the county normally open on the weekend, such as Ralph's market in the Glenbrook Basin, opened and closed as power was lost and restored throughout the weekend, said Char Forselius, night manager. Other businesses remained closed.

Traffic lights in the Glenbrook Basin were out and then restored on Sunday afternoon as power fluctuated.

The snow was as deep as 20 inches in Nevada City, said Dennis Casella, Nevada County director of general and emergency services.

"All county offices will be closed on Monday," Casella said.

The county road crews will keep plowing, said Ken Ribble, county road maintenance supervisor.

"We're holding our own against the tide (of snow)," Ribble said. "All our equipment is out and we're doing the best we can."

Back to NCCFD in the Newspaper