Residents displaced from Montville apartment building following structure issues

MONTVILLE, CT (WFSB) -

About two dozen residents at an apartment complex in Montville were evacuated Monday evening after their building's roof was found to be compromised, according to authorities.

Authorities said residents at the Mount View Realty Apartments, which are located at 1591 Route 32, also known as Norwich-New London Turnpike, reported hearing "loud creaking noises."

"I heard a shift in the ceiling, and then two big crack noises when two beams came flying through the ceiling," Jarrett Arato, who lives in the unit where the roof caved in, said.

After the evacuation, the fire marshal and building official declared the building unsafe until further inspection. Authorities are expected to inspect the apartment complex during the daylight hours.

The American Red Cross is assisting the residents with housing for the evening.

Residents don't think the damage is weather related because there isn't much snow on the roof.

The building was built in 1970 and there are some construction issues. The snow that has piled on top of the roof likely impacted the structure.

"Me and mother live there and if it was five minutes earlier, like if she would have got up, or I got up to use the bathroom and came through the dining hall, one of us could have got killed," Arato said.

Their neighbor Linda Tompkins was awoken by the noise too.

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Residents displaced from Montville apartment building following structure issues