Timia Cobb – syracuse.com
Williamstown, N.Y. — The roof of a wire plant in Oswego County collapsed this morning, firefighters said.
Only a few hours later, fighters rushed to another roof collapse at a church.
Oswego County has been hit with heavy lake effect snow for days that’s dumped several feet of snow in many areas.
The roof of the Omega Wire plant at 572 state Route 13 collapsed this morning, said Marjorie Hastings, who worked at the plant for 21 years before retiring in 2008. Hastings was not at the plant during the collapse.
The employees inside said they could hear the roof cracking and were told to leave the building, she said.
The entire building went down, Williamstown firefighters said.
The roof collapsed as the morning and night shift were switching, Hastings said. She was told no one was hurt and everyone was able to get out, she said.
As Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard spoke with firefighters around 4 p.m., there was another collapse — this time at a church, firefighters said.
The roof of Ranch of Hope Community Church at 528 state Route 13 partially collapsed on its side, according to Oswego County 911 dispatchers. The church is only a two-minute walk from Omega Wire.
No one was inside the church during the collapse, pastor Kevin Donahue said.
The church was planning to have the roof cleaned off on Monday, but the weather got so bad they had to wait, he said.
“We were just praying and hoping that it would make it through all this snow until we got up there to get it off,” Donahue said.
The roof collapsed into the center of the building, and it caved in half of the fellowship hall, he said.
The church usually holds a soup kitchen in the fellowship hall on Wednesday. Earlier today, the church had invited the employees at Omega Wire to attend the soup kitchen.
Now the church doesn’t know when it’ll be able to have the soup kitchen or services in the attached sanctuary.
The church’s insurance policy ended a few months ago, Donahue said. They don’t know when they’ll be able to repair the fellowship hall, but they’ve been supported by the town as the snowstorm continues, he said.
Oswego County is currently under a state of emergency due to heavy snows, freezing temperatures and high winds. Whiteout conditions have left driving treacherous in many areas.
“We’ve been praying for the safety of everybody,” Donahue said. “I’m grateful that, you know, to have the two roofs that collapse in Williamstown and nobody got injured. Praise God for that.”
Staff writer Timia Cobb covers breaking news. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at tcobb@syracuse.com.
- Worker Killed, Four Injured in MA Home Collapse Amid Strong Winds
- Wood Roof Trusses: Analyzing Collapse
- Structural Collapse Response Training for Firefighters
©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit syracuse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
