Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies: FF Nation- Delaware Evacuation

Fire Causes Evacuation of Delaware Capitol Building

Fire in the basement and on the second floor filled Legislative Hall with smoke

RANDALL CHASE, Associated PressPublished Thursday, October 8, 2015

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A smoky fire forced the evacuation of Legislative Hall, Delaware's capitol, Wednesday afternoon, and two first responders were injured.

Dover Fire Chief Mark Hall said the fire was reported about 2:10 p.m. Wednesday and arriving crews saw smoke coming from the front and side doors.

Lawmakers were not in session.

Hall says a generator in the basement and a closet on the second floor caught fire; he was not sure which happened first. The fire "smoked up the entire building from floor to ceiling," Hall said.

Firefighters from several jurisdictions responded. Power to the building was shut off. Hall does not think the sprinkler system activated.

A Capitol Police officer was taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation. A firefighter was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were checking the attic to see if the fire had spread there, Hall said. The building remained evacuated until about 4:30 p.m., but staff members were eventually allowed to go in to retrieve their belongings.

Legislative Hall is a Georgian Revival colonial structure of handmade brick built in the 1930s, according to the state's website. Two wings were added in 1994.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Raw Video, Fire at Legislative Hall in Dover (The News Journal)

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Associated Press

Firefighters work a smokey fire that forced the evacuation of Legislative Hall, Delaware's capitol, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, in Dover, Del. Lawmakers were not in session. Dover Fire Chief Mark Hall said a generator in the basement and a closet on the second floor caught fire. (Jason Minto/The News Journal via AP)