Same thing happened to my kitchen fan. One blade just broke off AT THE MIDDLE OF THE METAL not at the screws. I have no small kids. No one was in the kitchen. I thought the fire department was knocking down my front door with a poll when I heard the noise. I guess as the blade broke off, it hit the ceiling or the refrigerator several times. Very scary. I've decided to replace the fan based on this board. Someone said there might be structural weaknesses in the metal and the other blades might break the same way. Suppose someone is in the kitchen when this happens?