By Maddie Conley, Web Content Manager
UPDATED at 12:15 on 9/25/19–The first, second and third floors of Hoffman Hall have been reopened. The basement continues to remain closed with limited laundry services until next week, according to Messiah’s Operations Division.
A fire was found in the basement laundry services area of Hoffman Hall early Sunday morning. A fire alarm had gone off and due to evident smoke, the fire department responded.
The fire, coming from a dryer, was quickly put out, but the dryer was destroyed and left smoke and soot damage to everything in the space, said Vice President of Operations Kathie Shafer. She added that there is several days worth of clean up in Hoffman. Paul Davis, a professional service Messiah uses for emergencies, is currently working on the damage.
“We are grateful that no one was injured and the damage is manageable to address,” Shafer said in a statement.
Because of the smoke, some employees that work in Hoffman have been temporarily relocated to an office in the library; others are working remotely. “Each department has a plan for this type of situation that allows them to work someplace other than their office,” Shafer said.
Since the laundry services area was affected the most by the fire, operations will be limited. Laundry services is used for to Athletics, Dining Services, Campus Events and limited other offices, Shafer said. Critical laundry that cannot be outsourced for this week will be done in Hess Residence Hall laundry room.
For more information, contact Kathie Shafer at kshafer@messiah.edu.