Block of ice falls from sky, hits roof of house

FREMONT, Calif. -- A basketball-size block of ice fell from the sky and hit the roof of a Fremont home on Sunday evening, Fremont police said.

The ice struck a house on Wichitaw Drive at about 6 p.m. A woman who was home at the time heard the impact and felt the house shake, Fremont police Sgt. Jeff Campbell said.

Police found ice on the ground in front of the two-story home, as well as on the roof, where Campbell said it had damaged ceramic roof tiles, leaving a manhole-size crater. The ice did not penetrate the roof, and no injuries were reported, he said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said it is possible the ice came from a passing plane, and that the FAA will be contacting air traffic controllers to determine which aircraft could be responsible.

He said reports of falling ice are rare and only occur a "handful" of times in a year.

Neighbor Daniel Handjojo said his 15-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter were playing basketball outside on Sunday evening and saw the ice come down.

"They saw something falling from the sky," he said.

He said he and his wife were in their kitchen cooking with a ceiling fan on and didn't hear the ice crash into their neighbor's house.

"Luckily it didn't hit anyone," he said.

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