'Clap of Thunder': High Winds Forces Emergency For King Of Prussia Business
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KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (CBS) – It's been a wild Monday for employees at one King of Prussia business. The high winds caused a roof to partially tear away, and now business owners are left to pick up the pieces.
It was an all-out emergency at Sila Heating & Air Conditioning on Monday morning when the wind tore away at the roof one piece at a time.
Shredded, relentless winds dismantled piece after piece off a roof in King of Prussia, tearing a several-inch-thick layer of insulation and dropping it to the ground in a storm of debris.
"It was definitely the wind, just tore that right up, sounded like a freight train was ripping across it," said Ty Mossman.
"We just heard a large noise that sounded like it was an extended clap of thunder," said Gene Malinowski said, "and then we looked out into the parking lot and pretty much everything was in the parking lot."
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Mossman and Malinowski were inside Sila Heating & Air Conditioning around 10:30 a.m. Monday when the wind began chipping away roofing material.
The building consists of offices and a call center.
Eyewitness News was told 65 workers made it out of the building safely.
"You know most of the roof ended up on cars out front," said Mossman. "By the time I got out of the data center, most of the cars were moved and first responders secured the building and allowed us back to get our central backups and we're looking for cover now."
It was initially believed air handlers were in jeopardy of collapsing into the business.
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The fire department said a closer inspection revealed they were not compromised.
"The wind took part of the roofing material," Swedesburg Fire Department deputy chief Jeff Houseal. "The building was not compromised, just the roofing material and insulation were involved."
Workers returned to work and the roof is expected to be repaired as early as Tuesday morning.
