By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CITY HALL — As the city continues to dig out from under the weekend's crippling blizzard, city officials are warning property owners about another winter hazard: falling snow and ice.
The Buildings Department is advising property owners to remove snow and ice from their roofs, overhangs and awnings in light of a winter thaw. The temperature on Friday is expected to climb as high as 46 degrees, according to AccuWeather.com.
The warning comes after falling ice hit a man in the head in Times Square Tuesday afternoon, sending him to the hospital and prompting the closure of the pedestrian plaza between West 45th and West 46th streets, fire officials and witnesses said. More ice was later seen falling from the Marriott Marquis at Broadway and West 45th Street.
The man who was struck works for the Times Square Alliance. He is currently at home recuperating, a spokeswoman for the group said.
"Property owners have a legal responsibility to consider the safety of their buildings, and this obligation extends to when melting snow leads to ice that may come loose during warm weather," the department said.
It also warned that water from melting snow can collect on roofs, threatening the structural integrity of buildings.
A spokeswoman for the Mariott Marquis said that snow had stopped falling from the building Wednesday and that the hotel’s engineering team had searched the building and turned up the heat in one area to force remaining snow to melt.
She said that incidents like Tuesday’s are "extremely rare."
"I can’t remember the last time [something like] this may have happened," she said.
Buildings Department Deputy Commissioner of Enforcement Eugene Corcoran said the department had a team in Times Square Thursday meeting with police and fire officials ahead of Friday’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, which will see Times Square packed with upwards of 1 million people.
Inspectors will also be conducting spot checks to make sure buildings are safe, added Buildings spokeswoman Jennifer Gilbert.
The Times Square Alliance is also working with building owners and police to minimize the risk of danger, the spokeswoman for the group said.
"As with all storms, we are coordinating with building owners in their efforts to reduce any loose ice that may be on the exterior of the buildings," the spokeswoman said in a statement.
