Torrential rains, clogged drain cause roof collapse at Corbin liquor store

Torrential rains brought with them unexpected misfortune for two Corbin liquor store owners early Sunday morning after a portion of the store’s roof collapsed, apparently caused by a stopped up drain.

Bill Smith, co-owner of Liquor King on Cumberland Falls Hwy., said local police notified him of the collapse between 5:00 and 5:30 a.m. Sunday after the store’s alarm system detected a problem.

The damage, which happened near the front left corner of the store in the area of the main entrance, appears catastrophic at first glance, but could have been much worse. It happened in an area that is mainly open floor space.

“We lost very little inventory. Probably less than $5,000 worth,” Smith said Sunday. “If it had happened in the middle of the store, we’d have probably lost $100,000 worth, so for us, if this was going to happen, then that was probably the best place that it could have happened.”

The building is owned by Forcht Group of Kentucky. Greg Johnson, a construction manager for the company, was on-site Sunday morning assessing the damage. He said crews would begin immediately repairing the damage and hoped to have it fixed within a week.

“We’ll have to get some material ordered, but I think it will take about a week,” Johnson said. “We work fast.”

Smith said the building underwent roughly $1 million worth of renovation last year before Liquor King opened, which included an entirely new roof. He said the collapse was caused by a drain that clogged which allowed water to pool in the corner.

“We’ll have to watch our gutters and drains carefully. It was just a fluke,” he said. “It’s unfortunate because we were actually having our best week yet. Our business is really growing. This might slow us down a little bit, but hopefully it won’t have too much impact.”

Liquor King opened to customers the day of the incident and remains open for normal business this week as repairs are made. The damaged portion of the building has been isolated by a temporary wall.