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Fire restoration work nearly finished at Leg Hall

James Dawson/Delaware Public Media

State officials say cleanup is “95 percent” complete at Legislative Hall after a fire damaged the north wing of the building last week.

 

 

Restoration contractors labored through the weekend in order to reopen the building to state employees who work there even when the General Assembly is gaveled out from July through December.

 

Office of Management and Budget spokeswoman Jessica Eisenbrey says the progress since Wednesday’s fire has been dramatic.

 

“When you walked in on Thursday the smoke smell was very overwhelming and today when we walked through the building you no longer smelled smoke. So SERVEPRO has been working pretty diligently over the past few days to try to mitigate that smell,” Eisenbrey said.

 

An exhaust pipe for a backup generator in the building accidentally sparked the blaze in the attic during a test, with fire and smoke damage reaching from the basement to the top of the building.

 

Eisenbrey says the office of the House Democrats’ chief of staff took some of the heaviest damage.

 

“His office will need some significant work done to it," she said. "They will have to reconstruct a wall in his office and they’ll also need to do some painting and replace ceiling tiles throughout there.”

 

"We were lucky that it was contained to the one area that if you can use the word 'lucky'."

 

Some other furniture in the building will need to be replaced, as well as some carpet. Minor duct cleaning should be the only item left on the 'to-do' list, if any, when lawmakers return in January, officials say.

 

Ongoing renovations to the House Chamber were not affected and have resumed.

 

Leg Hall will be closed tomorrow, but is expected to reopen Wednesday.

 

State officials don’t yet have a cost estimate for the damage.

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