An electrical fire that originated under a fish tank at the Americus Library Tuesday led to some structural and content damage but did not spread to the rest of the building.
At 1 p.m. Tuesday, Anita Wescott arrived to open the library, 710 Main St., She smelled smoke, heard the smoke alarm and noticed black particles in the air, according to a Lyon County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Wescott went to the bank and called 911. Americus fire and police officials responded as well as the Emporia Fire Department and sheriff’s deputies. By the time they arrived, the fire had significantly died down, said Tom Andrews, Emporia fire marshall.
The fire originated under a fish tank in a cabinet on the southeast wall of the library. The cause was an overloaded outlet.
“They had two surge protectors piggybacked,” Andrews said. “One was plugged into the other, which was plugged into the wall. That’s a no-no.”
A preliminary estimate was $10,000 in damage to the structure and $15,000 in lost contests.
Andrews said there was smoke damage in other parts of the building but the fire mainly stayed in a 20 foot by 20 foot area.
He said the fire got to at least one bookcase.
“Books don’t make good fuel,” Andrews said. “There are a lot of books packed tight, but the fire did not take off like people might think it would.”
The library is currently closed for cleaning. Library staff does not know when it will be open to the public.
The exact time the fire started is unknown but investigators believe it probably had been going for awhile before Wescott discovered it.
Andrews said having surge protectors are fine, but people should not be putting two of them together.
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March 3, 2011 at 3:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )