Repairs, renovations under way in Bogalusa city clerk's office following last week's fire damage

Repairs and, as it turns out, renovations, are being made to the Bogalusa City Clerk's office following a fire that broke out in a power strip last Friday.

Ken Williams (from left) of Sheridan
Construction, Public Works Director James
Hall and Deputy Criminal Clerk Nikki Boone
review work under way in the City Clerk's
office necessitated by a fire last Friday.
(Photo by John H. Walker)

Workers for Sheridan Construction began knocking out walls, removing ceiling tiles and tearing up carpet on Tuesday and were back on the job early Wednesday with a load of sheet rock, framing lumber and other supplies.

"While we're making the repairs, we decided to go ahead and renovate," Bogalusa Public Works Director James Hall told wpnewsblog.

As a result, the cubbyhole-type office where the fire started no longer exists, as one wall was removed to make it a part of the bigger office it adjoined.

"We're adding outlets to make sure we have sufficient power sources," Hall said after asking Deputy Criminal Clerk Nikki Boone how many outlets were needed.

After explaining what outlets are needed, and saying that "we had power strips plugged into power strips," Boone showed Hall where the outlets needed to be with a "there, there and there" as she pointed to spots.

In addition, one door will be permanently closed to eliminate the possibility of foot traffic — wanted or otherwise — and all lights will be placed on single switches by each of the two doors that will be available for use.

Ken Williams of Sheridan Construction said he expected the project to take "a couple of weeks."

"That works out well for us," Boone said. "We had court the Monday after the fire and we were able to deal with it, but we don't have court again until after the Fourth."

(Published first at http://www.wpnewsblog.blogspot.com)
(Reader news tip story)

Disaster averted as City Hall fire extinguished

A firefighter shines his flashlight
on the power strip that shorted out
and started a fire in the City Clerk's
office at Bogalusa City Hall late
Friday. (Photo by John H. Walker)

A disaster was averted late Friday afternoon when sprinklers were able to extinguish a fire that had broken out in the City Clerk’s office in Bogalusa’s historic City Hall.

“The sprinkler system did its job,” said Fire Chief David Moody. “If it had gotten into that wood and up above the ceiling tiles, it would have been a tough fight.”

The fire started in an overloaded power strip behind a desk in the office, just off the foyer of the building.

“It’s easy to see where it started and worked its way up the wall,” Moody said. “Several ceiling tiles were down in the originating office, and another couple were down in the second office, which is located next to the office of Judge Robert Black.

Burned and melted items on the
desk where the power strip was
located. (Photo by John H. Walker)

“This could have been really bad,” Black said, as he surveyed the damage and started the process of collecting water damaged court records to take home over the weekend to dry out.

“It got some wood, but at the least sprinklers did their job,” Moody said, as he and Black discussed ways to protect the undamaged records while allowing the offices to air out from the acrid smell.

A stack of books,
manuals and registers
charred and wet.
(Photo by John H. Walker

Mayor Charles Mizell said he had arrived at City Hall right after firefighters got the blaze under control.

“I had been at a lift station that wasn’t working when I got the call about this (the fire),” Mizell said as he surveyed the damage about 7:45 p.m. “This could have been really bad.”

Bogalusa’s City Hall was built in 1917 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

(First published at http://www.wpnewsblog.blogspot.com)