THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 19, 1995 TAG: 9510190418
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: METRO BRIEFS
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Short : 30 lines
The city's 54 voting machines were damaged in a weekend fire, but the voter registrar said replacements would be delivered before the Nov. 7 election.
The fire broke out about 6:30 a.m. Sunday in the band room of the abandoned Suffolk High School off Freemason Street. Fire Chief Mark Outlaw said it started in a ceiling light fixture and caused about $500 damage to the building.
The fire activated the sprinkler system, which extinguished most of the fire before firefighters arrived. The band room and adjacent auditorium sustained mostly smoke and water damage.
The building, abandoned as a school in 1990, was being used by the city for storage.
Voter Registrar Patsy Bremer said the year-old electronic machines were insured for $5,500 each.
Most damage to the machines, which must be stored in a temperature-controlled environment, was caused by the heat, she said.
KEYWORDS: FIRE by CNB