Buildings to reopen after damage from huge downtown Raleigh fire
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Four days after a massive fire engulfed a construction site in downtown Raleigh, state office buildings that were closed due to damage from the blaze have reopened.
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The state Department of Environmental Quality offices on 217 West Jones Street reopened at 8 a.m. Debris from the blaze can still be seen on the top floor patio.
Officials said fires of this size can have an impact on more than just the building.
"Anytime you kind of have to shut down work, particularly state work that so many people are dependent upon, it has an impact on folk's lives," said Jamie Kritzer, Department of Environmental Quality Spokesman.
The Green Square office building was closed due to heavy smoke and a power outage caused by the fire. That building has been reopened but caution tape still remains around the historic building to ensure the safety of employees.
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"We blocked off the west entrance in case any of those panes would fall out," said Vernon Cox, from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. "We want to make sure they don't harm any employees."
According to a release from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, the decision to reopen was made after engineers inspected the building and determined its ventilation and other operating systems were working properly.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the cause of the fire continues Monday.
The ATF or Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is helping the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations and the Raleigh Fire and Police Departments investigate the cause of the massive fire.
Thursday's inferno was the largest blaze in the city in nearly 100 years.
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The ATF determines the loss from the fire at more than $12 million.
It originated at the Metropolitan apartment complex construction site on Jones Street.
