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State Fire Marshal Reminds Residents To Clear Snow From Roof Before Rain

BOSTON (CBS) - Massachusetts Fire Marshal Stephen Coan suggests removing snow from roofs before Monday's rain if it can be done safely.

Read: Post-Storm Safety

With a quarter-to-half inch of rain predicted Monday morning, Coan says the extra weight may pose a problem for roofs and lead to structural collapse.

"Anytime there is an influx of water through rain onto a snow pack, the saturation greatly increases the weight of that snow pack," Coan told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

Coan suggested using roof rakes to clear some of the snow, especially on flat roofs.

"It will prevent leaking and ice dams forming if we get a variation of temperatures from the warm back to the cold, but second, if we start into a period of time with heavy precipitation, we know we could see some structural failures of roofs."

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