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Basement Fire Damages University of New Mexico CollectionA late-night fire that broke out in the basement of the University of New Mexico’s Zimmerman Library April 30 damaged bound periodicals, collapsed bookshelves, burned ceiling tiles, and permeated the building with the odor of burnt charcoal. The fire was so intense it took Albuquerque city firefighters about 30 minutes to find the source, the Albuquerque Tribune reported May 3.According to the university’s website, the library will remain closed to the general public for the foreseeable future. State Fire Marshal John Standefer said in the May 3 Daily Lobo campus newspaper that investigators were still trying to establish the cause of the blaze. Dean of University Libraries Camila Alire told American Libraries she was in Washington, D.C., for National Library Legislative Day when she got a call from campus police at 1:30 in the morning. She took the next flight out and was able to visit the damaged area briefly on May 2. “Because there has been an ongoing investigation, we have been unable to assess the damage or start recovery efforts,” she said, “although there seems to be no major structural damage to the library.” Alire added that a major cleanup would take place and that staff who had offices in the affected areas would need to relocate. Posted May 5, 2006. |
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