ROANOKE SUING FIRM OVER FIRE AT CIVIC CENTER

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 13, 1993                   TAG: 9301130305
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
ROANOKE SUING FIRM OVER FIRE AT CIVIC CENTER
In a lawsuit filed this week, the city of Roanoke is seeking $1 million from an asbestos-removal firm that it blames for starting a fire in the Roanoke Civic Center.
The 1990 fire closed the center's auditorium for six months.
In a lawsuit against Waco Inc., filed in Roanoke Circuit Court, the city said the fire caused at least $1 million in damage and loss of business.
Officials have said the fire was started by a faulty electrical cord.
The building was closed at the time in order for Waco to remove asbestos under a contract with the city.
No one was injured in the fire, which broke out about 5:30 the morning of Sept. 2, 1990.
The blaze spread to the second floor of the auditorium building, spewing soot over walls, seats and carpets and nearly melting a second-story window.
City officials had hoped to reopen the auditorium within weeks, but it became months as damage estimates grew and an Atlanta-based company was hired to make repairs.
All events booked for the auditorium were canceled or moved, including three concerts by the Roanoke Symphony. The auditorium reopened in March 1991.
The lawsuit accused Waco of negligence and breach of contract, alleging among other things that it failed to inspect electrical wiring used in the project.
An official with Waco, a Richmond-based company, declined to comment Tuesday. In earlier discussions with the city, the company has denied any responsibility in the fire.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB