FAYETTEVILLE — Library administrators hope to have the whole building open to the public by Monday.
There’s still more work to be done after a small fire broke out on the roof Sunday evening.
Firefighters were called about 8:41 p.m. Sunday to the Fayetteville Public Library after custodial staff smelled smoke. It appeared an ember from a volunteer beekeeper’s smudge pot on the roof garden blew in strong winds. Firefighters had to cut into the structure through layers of insulation and rubber to extinguish the fire smoldering within, staying at the scene until about 11:30 p.m.
Structural damage was limited to the roof but smoke infiltrated the expansion portion of the building. A fire wall between the expansion and the original Blair portion of the building came down as designed, limiting the reach of the smoke.
The library partially opened to patrons Wednesday after being closed Monday and Tuesday. The library will close at 5 p.m. for at least the rest of this week and programming has been put to a halt while crews continue to clean and repair the damage, said David Johnson, the library’s executive director.
Only the original Blair portion of the building is open to patrons. Library administrators want to keep the expansion clear of patrons while crews work, Johnson said. That portion of the building houses the adult fiction and nonfiction collections, hold lockers, media such as CDs and DVDs, genealogy records and Arsaga’s coffee shop.
Library staff have made returned youth materials that were not in the building at the time of the fire available for checkout and moved any materials on hold to an accessible part of the building, Johnson said.
Johnson said he hoped to have the entire building opened to the public by Monday but will have to see how the work goes.
“It pains me anytime the patrons aren’t allowed to be in their library,” he said.
Initial cost estimate of the damage is about $249,000, Johnson said. The cleaning and restoration work is estimated at $149,000, while repairing the roof could cost $100,000. The library has a $100,000 deductible and an assessor is scheduled to come out this week, he said.
The library hopes to resume story times for children in the Walker community room next week, Johnson said. Events also should still be able to happen in its event center, he said.
The smell from smoke was mostly abated by Wednesday, though the administrative offices still have a strong odor and will require replacing all of the furniture and equipment inside, Johnson said. The kitchen also has been cleaned and Johnson said he hopes the deli will be able to return to food preparation after a visit from the state Health Department this week.
The Fire Marshal’s Office suspects an ember from the smudge pot on the roof caused the fire but is still working on a final report, Johnson said.