Partial roof collapse leaves apparent damage at Latonia Elementary
Jan 01, 2026
A partial roof collapse occurred in the gymnasium area of Latonia Elementary School Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for Covington Independent Public Schools.Covington Battalion Chief Chris Alsip told us crews were called
at around 11:10 p.m. Wednesday night after reports of a roof collapse.The spokesperson said no one was inside the building and no injuries were reported.Social media videos online showed a large police and fire presence responding to the school just after midnight on New Year's Day.By 1:30 a.m., that scene had cleared, but a WCPO crew found the building still blocked off near the area where a long crack appears to have formed in the side of the building. The roof near the crack also appears to be sagging. The spokesperson said as of Thursday afternoon, the site was secured and damage assessments are ongoing.WATCH: We visited Latonia Elementary to see the damage Thursday morning Crews respond to reports of roof crack at elementary schoolIt's unclear what may have caused the damage at the school, or how severe the damage to the inside of the building may be. The spokesperson said district officials are monitoring the situation to determine if students and staff will be able to return from winter break on schedule next week.We met with Lydia Futrell, who lives just across the street from the elementary school.I was up around, I'd say 11:30ish, and I thought it would just have been fireworks because we heard them popping off throughout the whole night. But after I got on the Latonia discussion page, it was not that actually. It was the gym had collapsed, or so they say," Futrell said.Sam Harasimowicz has been following this story. You can contact him here:Futrell said she is grateful nobody was hurt, and students weren't inside.It definitely is a scary thought to think about. Im really glad that school wasnt in session and were glad they have virtual as an option," Futrell said.
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