Fire Rescue News - Northfield firefighters say medical-complex blaze appears accidental
Northfield firefighters are still investigating what caused the huge blaze that severely damaged the Mainland Medical Center at New and Zion roads on Friday.
Fire Chief Hank Martinelli said Monday that the fire - which took firefighters about six hours to contain - appears to have been accidental.
The west wing of the medical center was destroyed, but firefighters managed to save the east and south wings....Continue Reading
Continued from page 1
Northfield firefighters are still investigating what caused the huge blaze that severely damaged the Mainland Medical Center at New and Zion roads on Friday.
Fire Chief Hank Martinelli said Monday that the fire - which took firefighters about six hours to contain - appears to have been accidental.
The west wing of the medical center was destroyed, but firefighters managed to save the east and south wings.
The entire medical complex is "shut down for the foreseeable future" for safety reasons, Martinelli said, and the water, phone service and all other utilities have been shut off.
Fire officials have been working with the doctors who had offices in the complex to retrieve medical records, the fire chief added.
Dr. George Groch, the owner of the land and main medical office buildings, said the complex had 10 office suites with a total of 15 doctor's offices.
Since the fire, some doctors have been using their secondary locations while others are trying to relocate or are waiting for fire officials to let them back in the building, Groch said.
Some patients have been showing up at Mainland Medical Center to try to get their medical records, which Groch advised the public to avoid doing because the site is still considered dangerous. Leftover glass and other debris remain, he said.
Nonetheless, most of the medical records seem to be in good condition after the fire, Groch said. He advised patients to contact their local pharmacies to try to reach their physicians or to get prescription refills.
Groch said most of the damage to the east and south sections were smoke-related. One building has a partially-burnt roof, and firefighters had to cut a hole in the wall. Groch was unsure what will happen to the damaged wing and it would be up to the engineers who will evaluate the building.
Groch would like to start getting the site cleaned and rehabilitating it by the first of the year. His wife, Arlene Groch, said it was fortunate nobody got hurt.
Contact Michelle Lee: 609-272-7256 MLee@pressofac.com
Posted in Atlantic on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 4:45 am Updated: 4:36 am.
