THUNDER BAY — An electrical fire that sparked at the Thunder Bay Courthouse on Sunday afternoon has caused minor damage, according to the city’s fire prevention captain.
“The fire was contained because of the newer building it exhausted all that smoke and heat,” Kevin Anderson with Thunder Bay Fire Rescue said on Monday, Oct. 5.
Fire crews were alerted to the courthouse at around 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4. when a passerby noticed smoke emerging from the building. Only security personnel were present inside the building at the time of the fire and were all able to evacuate safely.
Anderson said smoke was coming out of the seventh floor from the inside of an electrical service room where there are multiple electrical panels located.
As to what exactly caused the fire, is still under investigation.
“Pictures were sent to the OFM (Office of the Fire Marshal) and engineers will determine that,” he said adding all fire safety systems were working as they should.
“The ventilation is why there was smoke showing from the roof because the ventilation actually expelled that smoke,” Anderson said.
On Monday, restoration crews and electricians could be seen working at the courthouse.
"They are in the process of cleaning everything up right now,” Anderson said, adding crews are using dehumidifiers to dry up any water from the building's fire sprinkler system.
"Some water went through the building but most of seemed to go down the stairwell so not as much damage as initially thought," he said. "It's not that bad... so in terms of all the electrical stuff making sure it's dry before they re-energize stuff."
Anderson could not say how long the cleanup would take or how long the courthouse would be closed for.
