Edsall Park Swim Club seeks community donations after pool house gutted by fire
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| Edsall Park pool engulfed in flames. |
The board of directors of the Edsall Park Swim Club is seeking donations from the community to help the board rebuild the pool house after it was destroyed by a fire on Oct. 19. The pool is in the Springfield area of Mason District.
The pool house, which contains the office and bathhouses was quickly engulfed in flames although the board is grateful for the first responders who were able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading, says board member Chris McDermitt.
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| What’s left of the pool house. |
“I don’t think the investigation report can say with certainty how the fire started, but it is my understanding they believe it started at an electrical outlet in the office,” McDermitt says. Investigators discovered bits of chewed-up wire in nesting debris, indicating that an animal, maybe a mouse, chewed through an electrical wire.
The pool was shut down for the season and McDermitt thinks everything had been unplugged, including the refrigerator, so he doesn’t understand how there could have been an electrical fire.
Since the pool house was old and small, “we’re hoping we can rebuild something better than what was there before,” he says.
The pool board is working on getting three estimates on rebuilding from contractors, as required by its insurance company.
“The community will rally to rebuild and come back stronger than ever but it will take funding,” McDermitt says. The pool’s insurance policy only covers the basic building structure.
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“With the current environment we must adapt to create a new and improved building that better serves the needs of the pool and community,” he says.
He urges community members to donate to the rebuilding fund via PayPal.
