CLARENCE, N.Y. — A popular golf dome in upstate New York was ripped apart and collapsed Friday as gusty winds and blizzard conditions battered the area, authorities said.
The Dome, formerly known as the Wehrle Golf Dome, took the brunt of the frigid weather that barreled into the Buffalo area, The Buffalo News reported.
“The Dome, itself, did collapse,” Kim Hammerl, owner of Local Grille @ The Dome, a business inside the complex, told the newspaper.
Clarence Town Supervisor Patrick Casilio told WIVB-TV that he thought the building could not be saved.
“I presume it’s not salvageable,” Casilio told the television station. “Hopefully the foundation isn’t damaged.”
Hammerl believes the building can be saved and that businesses can resume operations soon.
“We believe the structure of the building, with the restaurant and the golf shop, is still intact, and the restaurant, hopefully, will be able to reopen sooner than later,” Hammerl told the News. “It’ll be back up and running as soon as they get it repaired, and they’re hoping that is going to be sooner than later.”
No injuries were reported, Casilio told WIVB.
Sandie Kobee, who lives behind the structure, said she was shocked to see pieces of the dome flying outside of her window.
“We were without power and it’s freezing, so we were changing and all (of a) sudden I see this -- what the hell is that?” Kobee told WIVB. “We saw this big thing hanging over and it ripped apart.”
Wind gusts as high as 72 mph were recorded at the Buffalo airport on Friday afternoon, according to the television station.
“It was so wicked,” Kobee told WIVB, referring to the stormy weather. “It’s like something you would see out of a movie.”
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