Elm building fire damage estimate at $2.5M; cause still unknown

JEFFERSON CITY -- A Monday evening fire at a state government building seen by passersby on Highway 50 is expected to have caused at least $2.5 million in damage, officials said Friday afternoon.

However, additional estimated costs are still under review as officials work to determine if any equipment housed in the building is salvageable, the Governor’s Office said in a news release. A contractor began recovery and disposal work of the state-owned equipment in the building earlier this week.

The Missouri Division of Fire Safety and Jefferson City Fire Department delivered a report to state officials Friday and said the fire may have originated on the roof or in the attic. The cause of the fire was “undetermined.”

Fire crews responded to the blaze at 1621 E. Elm Street Monday around 9 p.m. The building — which is privately owned and leased to the state — was the workplace for about 100 employees of the Office of Administration Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) employees which assisted the Department of Social Services.

Read more: https://themissouritimes.com/elm-building-fire-damage-estimate-at-2-5m-cause-still-unknown/