PORT HAWKESBURY: After a damaging fire at the public works building, the town said it is exploring options.
In a press release issued today, the Town of Port Hawkesbury said the fire took place last evening at its building on Paint Street in the Port Hawkesbury Business Park.
“There were no personnel on site when the fire occurred,” the town confirmed in the release.
Jason MacMillan, Manager of Public Works told The Reporter there was damage.
“Yes, some public works fleet vehicles and equipment were damaged. The extent of the damage will be determined through the town’s insurance process,” MacMillan said. “Interior damage is extensive and the building is currently not habitable for employees.”
According to the town, the Port Hawkesbury Volunteer Fire Department responded immediately with a full complement of equipment and members.
“They made an excellent effort to protect the structure and save fleet and equipment where possible,” the release noted.
MacMillan said volunteer fire fighters responded at about 7 p.m. and the department “did not indicate the fire is suspicious in nature.”
Town staff, council, and the mayor expressed their gratitude to the Port Hawkesbury Volunteer Fire Department for their “exceptional response to this challenging incident,” according to the release.
“We just want to stress the amazing work that the Port Hawkesbury Volunteer Fire did,” said MacMillan. “They were phenomenal; can’t say enough about the response from our local volunteers.”
The town said it is conducting an assessment of the damage.
“We have to make contact with our insurance company and there’ll be times when an assessor or several assessors will visit the site with us and give us information on next steps and the path forward for procuring other equipment, or damage to the equipment, and materials that we need to ensure that we’re operational and able to respond to issues that arise on a daily basis,” MacMillan noted.
Temporary measures are in place to maintain operations, the town said.
“This is really about looking at options for our staff to work out of other spaces that may be available to the town,” said MacMillan. “We’re still exploring options there but it’s our duty to ensure our staff are provided accommodation for work; places that are comfortable and warm, provides them with washroom facilities and things like that. We’re still working through those options.”
The town added that public works contact information remains in place for both workday hours and after-hours emergencies at 902-625-1975.
“We ask for your patience as we work through the challenges of getting back to full operations,” the town added.