BOSTON — Ice that’s melting on people’s roofs across Massachusetts is leading to close calls and expensive home repairs.
Neighbors in communities across Boston have reported large chunks of ice falling onto sidewalks.
A portion of a sidewalk on Milford Street in the South End was taped on Friday after several frozen blocks plunged down five stories.
Experts said Sunday’s snowstorm and frigid temperatures are causing ice dams on roofs in the city and suburbs.
Ice dams form at the end of roofs when the snow melts and freezes.
“It prevents water from exiting your roof because roofs aren’t waterproof,” said Mike Hilborn with RTD ice dam removal. “Usually, it goes inside your house. It starts coming through your ceiling and buckling your floors.”
Hilborn’s company is based in Minnesota.
He brought 12 teams to Boston from the Midwest to clear ice dams.
The last time RTD ice dam removal visited Boston was during Boston’s record-breaking winter of 2015 – a season that buried the city under 110 inches of snow.
“Here in Boston, it was 11 years ago that this very same thing happened,” said Hilborn. “We try to get here right when the demand is starting, and we’re getting calls now.”
Hilborn said backed up ice on roofs can get underneath shingles and cause leaks.
Ice dams that are not removed can bring thousands of dollars in damage when they thaw.
“What we do is steam it off or we melt it off,” he said. “There’s a snowstorm coming in, and that’s just going to feed it, and these dams are going to get bigger.”
Those ice dams can be especially dangerous on top of taller buildings in areas where people walk.
“It’s so scary seeing so much ice falling from the roof,” said South End resident Anna Rothman. “The chunks are really big, and they’re falling from very high roofs.”
Rothman said chunks of ice plummeted down onto a sidewalk near her home moments after she walked by with her dog.
“There was zero warning, and I just heard it hitting the ground,” she told Boston 25 News. “I’d been standing there. I literally just walked through.”
She said she’s now trying to walk in the street when possible and is routinely looking up while walking through the neighborhood.
Roofers caution against getting up on your roof and trying to hammer off or chisel ice yourself.
They warn that it can be dangerous and lead to more damage and problems.
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