After smoky fire, senior center building shows considerable damage
Blaze appears to have started in craft room
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ROGER CROWLEY / TIMES ARGUS |
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By SUSAN ALLEN TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: December 16, 2009
MONTPELIER – A gaping hole in the side of the building at 58 Barre Street revealed metal chairs stacked just inside, the steel floor buckled from heat. Smoke damage darkened the brick exterior from the first floor to the roof. A small blue plastic chair and attached metal desk, melted and scorched, sat in a side driveway.
Vermont State Police and state safety investigators Tuesday looked over the damage to the Montpelier Senior Activity Center following a late-night fire that was reported at 11:33 the night before, trying to determine the cause of the blaze that damaged the busy center.
More than 60 fire personnel from Montpelier, East Montpelier, Waterbury, Berlin, Barre City, Barre Town and Middlesex responded to the alarm, which was called in by a passerby, Montpelier Fire Chief Gesualdo Schneider said Tuesday.
No one was in the building at the time of the fire, and no firefighters were hurt responding to the blaze. They stayed at the scene for over two hours, and then left a watchman to ensure the fire did not break out again overnight.
"Somebody heard an alarm going off and saw smoke," the chief said. "We arrived on scene and found heavy smoke coming out of the basement window and flames shooting all the way to the roof."
The damage was not visible Tuesday from the front of the building, although windows were left open on the third floor. Red tape reading "do not enter" closed off both driveways running down either side of the building, and yellow tape reading "do not cross" ran from tree to tree across the front to keep people away.
The fire had clearly started on one side of the structure toward the back, shattering windows, burning wooden beams that were piled up outside the building and scorching the brickwork. Several people present at the scene and Schneider said it is thought the fire started in the Senior Center's crafts room.
A floor-to-ceiling window was gone on the first floor, exposing a storage area with stacked folding metal chairs. The floor had buckled somewhat – Schneider said the lighter steel trusses buckled under the heat, which exceeded 900 degrees.
"Our one concern was the possible collapse of the mezzanine floor," Schneider said.
On Tuesday, a plumbing van, followed by an electrician's truck, pulled into the driveway in hopes of getting the heat and power restored to the building.
"There were no injuries but lots of damage inside," City Manager William Fraser told City Council members in an e-mail Tuesday morning.
Fraser called the fire "serious." He said the building is insured for $1,833,500, as well as $100,000 for content.
Beverlee Pembroke Hill, assistant city manager and liaison to the Senior Center, said the blaze was especially sad because the center's holiday luncheon had been set for noon on Tuesday, with about 100 people expected to attend.
A special surprise was planned, Hill said. Thanks to a grant secured by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Hill had picked up a new van for the Senior Center and planned to park it outside the center Tuesday with a red bow to surprise the crowd. Fortunately, she parked the vehicle in a city lot overnight so the van was not near the Senior Center at the time of the fire.
"It was going to be a very exciting day for the seniors," Hill said. She said she hoped the holiday luncheon could be relocated next week to a different site.
She said alternate sites would also be sought to house the center's day-to-day offerings, including yoga classes, dance, art and more. Hill said ensuring the building is accessible for seniors will be an issue.
"It's an important place for seniors. It's a social piece that's desperately needed," she said. Noting that insurance should cover any temporary location costs, she added, "We'll work to relocate them immediately somewhere."
Hill was already scheduled tonight to brief the City Council on the center's budget proposal for Fiscal 2011. She said that presentation would not change because the senior activities and expenses would essentially remain unchanged, assuming insurance covers relocation costs.
"It is a place of significance to those people. It's their social contact for their friends," Hill said of the center. "But I'm convinced we're going to have them up and if not in a perfect situation, one that will work for them on a temporary basis."