Roof collapse at Fresno VFW Post not covered by insurance

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- About 400 members of a VFW Post in Fresno no longer have access to the building after a dangerous roof collapse.

On July 21st, the entire roof collapsed at the VFW Post 8900 on North Blythe Avenue.

"If you see it, you would think a tornado or hurricane or something come through here," said Commander Willie Tate Jr.

If you drive by, it's hard to miss the torn shingles hanging from above.

"Wood, asphalt, shingles, everything that makes up a roof is right in the middle of our hall," explained Tate.

Tate says some members heard noises and noticed cracks on the ceiling days before it collapsed.

He canceled scheduled events and is thankful he did because it all happened four days after making that decision.

"That is a blessing from God that no one was in the hall when it came down," said Tate.

For those who were in other parts of the building, like Hall Manager Jerry Sanchez, the experience was one he compared to his time in the war.

"The noise, the rumbling, the smell of gas because the gas line is broke. Water is shooting everywhere. So everyone is running in a split second," said Jerry Sanchez, the hall manager.

The Fresno Fire Department believes the roof collapsed due to aging infrastructure and the weight of the AC units.

Closing the doors to the Hall means the nearly 400 members will not have access to the building, and the Hall cannot be booked for events.

Tate says events are a big source of revenue.

About 30,000 dollars has been refunded to those who had the Hall reserved in 2023.

" We are floating okay, but if we don't start receiving revenue back into the hall, then we are going to go into the negative," Tate said.

An inspector surveyed the damage on Wednesday morning, but several steps must happen before opening, including gathering the financial means.

Tate says, unfortunately, the insurance will not be covering the collapse since it's not on the policy.

Now, they're turning to the community for support and say city council members have also reached out to help.

While the Veterans Hall remains closed, Tate says this park out back is still available for events.

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