BERRYVILLE, VA - After more than 150 years in business, the Berryville Post Office had a renovation scare that caused parts of the building to fill with smoke.
Just before noon on Wednesday, a construction worker was using a heat gun when something happened.
"They were using a heat gun in order to soften up the layers of paint and part of the old wood just basically caught fire," says D'Ann Mcclellan, postmaster of the Berryville Post Office.
Workers began to smell and see the smoke fill the lobby and one mail carrier said it began to get dangerous.
"The smoke filled the room to the point where it was difficult to breathe," says John Kauffman, a mail carrier.
One of the workers immediately grabbed a fire extinguisher and called the fire department.
Mcclellan said she was not working that morning but believes there was a small flame within the window, although only smoke had filled the inside.
"The only thing that pulled into the building was smoke, so inside the building got very smokey, so we used fans and everything to blow the smoke out," added Mcclellan.
Once the smoke had been put under control, fire officials had just arrived and evacuated the building.
Mcclellan added, "Fire department came, took a look at it, everything seemed fine and we were back in business."
The staff considers themselves lucky and hopes the renovation can continue to deliver more business to come. The expected date for the completed project is by February.
Just before noon on Wednesday, a construction worker was using a heat gun when something happened.
"They were using a heat gun in order to soften up the layers of paint and part of the old wood just basically caught fire," says D'Ann Mcclellan, postmaster of the Berryville Post Office.
Workers began to smell and see the smoke fill the lobby and one mail carrier said it began to get dangerous.
"The smoke filled the room to the point where it was difficult to breathe," says John Kauffman, a mail carrier.
One of the workers immediately grabbed a fire extinguisher and called the fire department.
Mcclellan said she was not working that morning but believes there was a small flame within the window, although only smoke had filled the inside.
"The only thing that pulled into the building was smoke, so inside the building got very smokey, so we used fans and everything to blow the smoke out," added Mcclellan.
Once the smoke had been put under control, fire officials had just arrived and evacuated the building.
Mcclellan added, "Fire department came, took a look at it, everything seemed fine and we were back in business."
The staff considers themselves lucky and hopes the renovation can continue to deliver more business to come. The expected date for the completed project is by February.
