Residents believe roofing materials caused collapse at Lakewood … – FOX31 Denver

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LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- Questions remain about what led to a roof collapse that forced nearly 80 residents out of their homes at a Lakewood apartment building on Sunday.

The affected residents at Maplewood Village Apartments are waiting to find out when they will be allowed inside to retrieve some of their clothing and belongings.

While waiting for answers, some residents have been using their vehicles to live in while only a few stayed at a Red Cross emergency shelter on Sunday night.

The residents are blaming the roofing contractor and its supplier for the collapse. The crew fromGulf Eagle Supply Company began removing the huge stack of roofing materials still sitting on a second building on Monday.

The building was also evacuated on Sunday out of fear it would also collapse.

The supplierhas had two cases filed against it in the past two years and is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau.

"That's our life. Some of us had to miss work because of this. Unfortunately, some of us aren't getting paid for this. A lot of us want to just go in get our belongings and see what's going on, but it was just always a story getting thrown here there and everywhere," said displaced resident Rena Martinez.

"Unfortunately, it appears that there was too much weight in one particular area and that's possibly what caused that,"Jess Driggers of Planet Roofing and Solar said.

Driggers is co-owner of Planet Roofing, which was supposed to begin work on the buildings Monday.

Driggerssaid the supplier improperly placed tons of shingles in single piles instead of the standard practice of spreading the weight across the roof .

"We're doing everything possible on our end. We've activated our own insurance to step up and make sure that these people are taken care of," Driggers said.

A structural engineer will have to determine when residents can be allowed back in.

"They both have to solve this problem for us because many families here have kids and are homeless now," displaced resident Carlos Lopez said. "We're still staying strong."

The apartment complex is located near Wadsworth Boulevard and West Ninth Avenue in Lakewood. One man captured part of the collapse on video.

A resident said the roof had been damaged in a hailstorm a few weeks ago. There were no injuries.

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Residents believe roofing materials caused collapse at Lakewood ... - FOX31 Denver