A replacement panel for the damaged roof of Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium is expected to arrive early next week.

A section of the Teflon-coated fabric roof tore loose during a sleet storm on Friday and began flapping in the wind.

The torn section flaps in the wind as the roof begins to deflate.
(Photo courtesy of Marco Iucolino)

After the tear was discovered, stadium officials carried out what they called a controlled deflation, allowing the white domed roof, normally held up by air pressure, to collapse into the bowl of the stadium.

The move averted further damage and prevented injuries, they said.

About 30 people were working at the stadium. About half of them, from the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League, were forced from their offices.

Howard Crosley, B.C. Place general manager, said the roof of the 23-year-old stadium had been inspected within the past year and was in good shape.

At the time of collapse, no event was being held in the provincially owned stadium, which will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
 
Workers have less than three weeks to repair the inflatable roof before the next scheduled event.

Workers are pumping water from the stadium during the wait for a replacement roof panel.
(CBC)

It's not clear how long it will take to repair the damage. Crosley said there's not much workers can do until the panel arrives, but they'll spend the weekend pumping water out of the stadium.

The Vancouver area has been hit with several severe winter storms over the past two months. The latest storm brought winds gusting to over 110 km/h.

The high winds and heavy snow that hammered the Lower Mainland left nearly 45,000 B.C. Hydro customers without power Saturday morning. Another 4,000 were affected on Vancouver Island.

The utility said power wouldn't be restored in many areas until the afternoon.