Soot to spotless: Walton library reopens after furnace fire prompts extensive cleaning
It was all over the books, shelves, walls and floor. It was on paintings, computers and framed photographs.
Today, you'd never know a furnace fire shot the black dust through the facility's ducts, out its vents and all over everything.
The library reopens today after a team came in and cleaned every inch of the building. One by one, they cleaned every single book through a multi-step process. They used vacuums with special filters to clean the floors. They even cleaned the air inside the building.
"If it weren't for
were very fortunate," Troutman said.
The layer of grime throughout the building forced the library to close and cancel events or move them to other venues.
Troutman said insurance covered the cleanup, which started with hiring
"Every single book had to be pulled off the shelf and cleaned," he said as workers finished up the job on
Cleaners had to hold books tightly when taking them off the shelves to prevent soot from seeping between the pages, he said. They vacuumed each volume with backpack units before wiping them down with a dense rubber sponge called a chem sponge, and then another cloth.
Eric said workers cleaned every piece of glass, every rack holding a book and every irreplaceable item representing the town's history in the library's
Several ozone machines ran overnight in the library, he said. His wife and colleague,
An air scrubber hummed on the library's second floor the morning of
As the project progressed, Eric kept track of it all by marking a map of the building.
About 18
The library has five heating systems, Eric explained. After the one caught fire, the others picked up its soot and spread it throughout all of the duct work.
Eric said all of the flexible ducts had to be replaced and another company cleaned the rest of the duct work. That firm covered all of the building's vents before sucking all of the soot out with a negative air machine.
Alford said they visit the library regularly and attend its story time sessions. She added her daughters participate in the library's reading programs over summers and Christmas breaks.
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The girls are looking forward to the library opening back up again.
"It's been a daily question -- 'Can we go to the library?'" Alford said.
Bruner, a former elementary school teacher, said she admires the library for the selection of books, movies, video games, magazines and newspapers it offers.
The library's space is another asset, she continued, noting it hosts activities and can be rented out for events.
"It's definitely a place my family loves going to visit," Bruner said.
Troutman said she's very thankful for the firefighters who responded to the furnace fire and patrons for their patience and offers to help.
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