Ilsa Minor | Daily Press

An odd sequence of events led to an alarming sight at Escanaba City Hall Thursday afternoon. Passerbys watched as a man moved about on the city hall roof while a fire truck, Escanaba Public Safety squad cars, and the city electric department blocked traffic from getting too close to the building. According to City Manager Patrick Jordan, the sight was largely a coincidence. The electric department was called to replace a light in the utility billing office that had shorted out, and Public Safety was on standby as a precaution in case of an electrical fire. The man was on the roof for entirely different reasons. A wind storm around Thanksgiving had removed sections of the building’s fascia and residents of nearby Harbor Tower had alerted the city that the roof’s membrane needed replacement. Thanks to the unseasonably warm weather, the roof could be repaired Thursday, and since there was little chance of fire, the man continued to work while the light was replaced.