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County administrator: courthouse fire contained to two basement areas; repairs and investigation underway
Summary
Administrator Boiko told the Butler County commissioners that crews contained the courthouse fire to two basement areas, the building is on fire watch, and contractors and insurers have been engaged for repairs while the City of Hamilton completes its investigation.
Administrator Boiko reported to the Butler County Board of Commissioners that crews responding to the Sunday fire at the historic courthouse quickly contained the blaze and that "the majority of the fire was contained to really 2 areas in the basement," while smoke and limited water damage affected corridors and plaster walls on upper floors. He said multiple jurisdictions responded under a mutual-aid agreement and that the City of Hamilton Fire Department is leading the official fire investigation and has not yet released a cause.
Boiko said the courthouse remains on fire watch and that county facility manager Rick Couch is coordinating immediate safety work, including restoring the building's fire alarm system. "Priority repairs [are] functionality to the building's fire alarm system," Boiko said, and the county has arranged Allied Universal security and deputy placement to restrict entrance while the site remains under investigation.
The county has solicited scopes from contractors to assess the damage and plan restorative work that will avoid interfering with the fire investigation. Boiko named Servpro as the primary restoration contractor and said the county is coordinating with its property insurer, CORSA, and an assigned adjuster. He listed other contractors engaged for specific systems: Kraus Electric for electrical panels, Progressive Plumbing for piping repairs, Peck Hannaford & Briggs for HVAC, and a TKE vendor to inspect the elevator shaft for water damage.
Boiko told the board that operations will be affected for at least "a couple weeks, and perhaps longer" as the county restores life-safety systems and coordinates court operations at temporary locations. He said he and staff are communicating with the judges and will relay any findings from the city's investigation to the board.
The board did not take formal action on the fire report; Boiko asked commissioners for any immediate questions and said staff will return with updates as the city completes its investigative work.
