Part of the Staples plaza off Bridgeport Avenue was closed to the public Tuesday because of snow on its roof.
Fire Marshal James Tortora said that while the roof of the building, which sits at the corner of Bridgeport Avenue and Armstrong Road, did not collapse, the sheer weight of snow dumped by the weekend blizzard presented a danger.
“The weight of the snow had sunk the roof in about half a foot,” Tortora said. “The building inspector closed it to the public until they get the weight off the roof so it won’t blow or sink in.”
The issue with a sagging roof support beam was noticed Tuesday morning. The store was cleared about 11 a.m.
A Citibank branch next door to Staples was also taped off to public access Tuesday night, but the Panera at the end of the plaza was open for business.
Panera manager Nick Sanford declined to comment on Staples’ troubles, but said his restaurant would be open until 9 p.m. as usual.
Posters at the entrance to Staples posted Tuesday said:
“Attention Staples Customers
Due to structural damage to the building from the storm we have closed the store for the day.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Thank you,
Management.”