Fire Destroys Library,
Threatens Rare Books
Flames engulfed the small Macedon Public Library in western New York April 29, ruining the building and its main collection and endangering 6,000 rare books. Investigators believe the fire at the town complex started near the ceiling in the 3,000-square-foot library wing, destroying its roof and causing $1–$2 million in damage, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. No one was injured in the blaze.
At 9:45 p.m. neighbors near the town hall reported the fire, “a wall of smoke rising in the air and a wall of flames,” as described by the first police officer on the scene. Offices of several local officials were also damaged in the second major fire to a Macedon government building in six months. Insurance-company investigators are focusing on an inside light fixture as the possible cause of the blaze. The library and town hall, built in 1978, did not have a sprinkler system.
Library assistant June Hamell stood helpless as the building burned. “You’re watching your job, all the work you’ve done, just going up in flames,” she said.
Among the 30,000-item collection were 6,000 volumes published between 1750 and 1930 donated by the local Bullis family in 1979. Three days after the blaze most of the rare books were recovered and organized for shipping to Munters Moisture Control Services in Chicago, where they will be dried and cleaned.
Posted May 7, 2001.
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