The video presents a narrated recollection of the roof collapse at the Hills department store on Main Street in Clarence, New York, which occurred on a Sunday at noon in January 1985. The collapse was caused by a combination of heavy snow load, the weight of the ceiling, and air‑conditioning units on the roof, compounded by a broken natural‑gas line that later released fumes. Only about twenty customers were inside at the time, limiting the number of injuries. Witnesses describe hearing a loud bang, initially mistaking it for a plane crash, and seeing the roof cave in over the cash‑register area. Volunteer firefighters from seven Harris Hill fire companies arrived within three minutes, using shovels and heavy equipment to dig through snow and rescue two trapped shoppers beneath a checkout counter. The presence of the cash‑register counters helped keep debris from crushing the victims. One firefighter was overcome by gas fumes. Survivors recount the frantic evacuation, phone‑line failures, and the quick actions of store employee Roseanne Jarsenecki, who called police from a payphone. The narrator emphasizes that timing—being early Sunday with few shoppers—was crucial in preventing serious injuries; nine people received treatment but none were critically hurt. The store was rebuilt, later acquired by Ames in 1999, and closed in 2000. Photographs of the rescue still hang in the local firehouse, serving as a reminder of the event.
Chapters
You may remember the hills department stores, but do you remember when the roof collapsed at the store at main in transit with shoppers inside?
It was a Sunday, about noon in January 1985. Dozens of firefighters responded to the scene, and I went there as a reporter. Tonight you'll hear from people who were there that day. But first, here's part of my report from 35 years ago.
The Hills department store opened at 11 o' clock this morning. By noon, with only with about 20 customers inside, there was chaos.
All of a sudden we heard this loud bang, like a crash. And I thought it was like something in shoes or domestics. And I ran out and I looked and the whole roof would come down in the front. And I just ran back and called the fire company.
Basically all we heard is like a large, a large bang. Our first thought was, you know, a plane came down on us. But of course, that wasn't the case.
Harris Hill firefighters were at the store within three minutes, while most people, dazed and crying but unhurt, were out in the parking. By then, the firefighters could hear cries for help coming from two customers, a husband and wife trapped underneath a checkout counter.
The counters prevented the debris from collapsing right on top of the people.
What kind of debris are we talking about?
Well, there was heavy weight of snow, the ceiling itself, and air conditioners that.
Were on top of the roof.
Firefighters from seven companies used everything they could find to dig through the snow looking for victims, from small shovels to heavy equipment. One firefighter was overcome by natural gas fumes leaking from a broken gas line. Inside the store, firefighters had two things to worry about today. More people might be trapped inside and more of the roof might cave in.
Now, 35 years later, the Hill store is long gone. It used to be right there.
But certainly some frightening memories of that day linger.
I thought a plane hit the building. I really thought a plane hit.
Roseanne jarsenecki was working the jewelry counter that day in 1985. She actually saw the roof cave in and moved quickly to get people out.
It was horrible. These people were worried about carts and checking out.
I said, get out of here.
I'm on the phone with the police. I'm telling them, get your kids and.
Get out of here.
They're standing, front hallway is going like this.
I said, get your kids and get out of here. The woman said, well, how am I supposed to check out?
With people screaming around her and the phone lines dead, Roseanne had the presence of mind to grab her change purse and run to a payphone to call police.
They told me to stay on the line, and I said, oh, I can't. I said, there's wires down there, sparks. There's water flooding it. I want to get out of here. They were there very fast. Oh, so fast.
Mike Schreiber was chief of the Harris Hill volunteers, who responded so quickly that Sunday. The lead company of seven volunteer fire companies providing mutual aid.
That's what really helped the people, was that all the material, the building itself, the roof material, fell on top of the cash register. There was a whole bank of cash registers there.
The Harris Hill fire company still keeps.
Photos of that intense rescue operation from 35 years ago on the firehouse wall, a reminder of a day when time was on their side.
Like I said, if it would have been a Saturday afternoon or Sunday afternoon, then it would have been a whole different story.
Timing is everything.
Timing was everything in this, and that's what it was. It was just timing.
I used to have nightmares in the beginning, but not anymore, thank goodness. It was scary.
Yeah, was scary. And according to my reporting back then, nine people were treated for injuries, but none of them were serious. They did rebuild and reopen that Hill store at Main in transit, but the entire chain was acquired by ames stores in 1999, and that Shane Ames closed in 2000.
They're all gone.
Yeah, all gone.
I remember that day because my neighbor happened to be inside, and he came back and came over the house and said he was shaken up. You wouldn't believe it, but it's a miracle. It is a miracle that no one was seriously hurt. When you look at how that roof came in and with the air conditioning.
Units on top, and that's where the timing comes in, because it was a Sunday at noon. Not a lot of customers in that store yet.
