Roof collapse at house near Ohio State University injures 14

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Part of a house collapsed and 14 people were injured near The Ohio State University Saturday evening when people climbed onto a roof that was not designed to hold significant weight, authorities said.

Columbus Division of Fire Battalion Chief Steve Martin said his department received a report around 7:40 p.m. of a roof collapse on East 13th Avenue and arrived to find the roof above a front porch had collapsed while the rest of the home remained intact.

“The few people that were trapped, I believe, were probably unpinned,” Martin said. “It was like their leg was caught under some of the structure and some of the students lifted that off the students. So everybody was kind of out.”

First responders initially found 10 injured people and eventually transported 14 accident victims to area hospitals with “various states of injuries” but they all were in stable condition, Martin said.

“It appears the roof was overloaded with students,” Martin said, with estimates ranging from 15 to 45 people on a rooftop “that was not designed to have anybody on it, and it gave way.”

The names of the home owner or occupants were not immediately available.

The home is not on the property of The Ohio State University. The main campus in Columbus has an enrolled student population of 61,677 for the 2022-2023 school year, according to the university’s website.