Sharing ...From one of my other lists ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gail Meyer Kilgore" <gkilgore@primenet.com> To: <ALEXANDER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 05, 2000 2:34 AM Subject: [ALEXANDER-L] FIRE!! > Full of good news tonight or this morning!! > > National Archives and Records Administration News Release > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > ---- > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 1, 2000 > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > ---- > > Statement on Records Center Fire, National Archives and Records > Administration > Yesterday (Tuesday, February 29), the National Archives and Records > Administration (NARA) reported a fire in its Washington National Records > Center in Suitland, Maryland. The fire was contained by the Center's > fire-safety system and extinguished with no reports of harm to staff or > visitors, but some records were damaged. The following is an update on that > from Archivist of the United States John Carlin. > > Although much work will be needed before we can be certain, we believe that > of the total of more than 3.7 million cubic feet of records at Suitland, > approximately 3,000 cubic feet were in the immediate area. Of those, fewer > than 300 cubic feet may have been destroyed. Most of the affected records > were wet or damp from sprinkler water or in singed boxes. Our staff at > Suitland stayed up through last night making valiant efforts to protect > records from water damage and otherwise dealing with the fire's effects, > working with personnel from the General Services Administration, from which > we lease the facility. > > The cause of the fire is as yet undetermined. Because the property is > Federal, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms as well as > GSA fire investigators were notified. As the investigation continues, the > following is what we know about the fire so far. > > The sprinkler alarms were activated at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, and alerted the > GSA Control Center that there was a problem. The first fire company arrived > sometime between 2:45 and 2:50. A fireman on the scene was overcome with > smoke at which point firemen abandoned Stack 15 to open the roof hatches to > vent the smoke. This process apparently took approximately one hour to > accomplish before the firemen returned to Stack 15 to begin to extinguish > the fire. The sprinkler system contained the fire during the period between > 2:30 and 3:50 at which point the firemen were able to enter the stack. At > 8:13 p.m. the firemen on the scene felt that the fire was sufficiently > extinguished to allow the investigation to begin in the stack. > > Our tracking system enabled us to identify the records on the shelves > affected by the fire, and agencies whose records may have been affected have > been notified. But we won't be able to identify exactly which records have > been affected and how seriously until the investigation of the area is > completed and we can examine the materials more closely. > > I will provide further information as it becomes available. > > JOHN W. CARLIN > Archivist of the United States > > > * * * * > For additional PRESS information, please contact the National Archives > Public Affairs staff at (301) 713-6000 or by e-mail. Visit the National > Archives Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.nara.gov. > > 00-42 > > [Press Releases] > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > ---- > > National Archives and Records Administration > URL: http://www.nara.gov/nara/pressrelease/nr00-42.html > webmaster@arch2.nara.gov > Last updated: Wednesday, March 01, 2000 > > > ==== ALEXANDER Mailing List ==== > Any complaints, please e-mail > gkilgore@primenet.com >