MONROE COUNTY, W.Va. – On Jan. 11 at approximately 3:30 a.m., a fire occurred at the Monroe County Courthouse. The blaze was extinguished, with fire and water damage sustained.
“So, we were in the middle of a renovation anyway, and then this, this here happens. So, it’s kind of slowed us down a little bit, for a few days, but we were fortunate enough to have an alternative building to put our offices in, so we can keep our government open for the public,” said Richard Miller, Director of Monroe County 911 and Emergency Management.
As for the renovations, the fire has delayed the construction.
“…This is going to set us back a little bit on the time frame on the existing renovations, and as of right now I have no idea how long that’s going to set us back, so hopefully we can just get everything organized, and we are,” explained Melvin Young, Monroe County Commission President. “We’ve already got storage containers coming in to put stuff in, ServPro is here, and we’ll make it happen.”
The upstairs portion of the Monroe County Courthouse has been closed since 2017 because of issues with mold that also affected the basement, forcing court proceedings to be held in Summers County.
The county received more than $5 million from the state for renovations to reopen the courtroom, and now the completion of that project will be delayed. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
On the day of the fire, a county state of emergency was declared. Until the courthouse is repaired and deemed operational, offices will be relocated to the “Old Rescue Squad Building“.
The Monroe County Clerk’s Office is keeping the public updated on the ongoing situation.
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