Macomb County Executive Mark A. Hackel announced Thursday that the Old County Building in downtown Mount Clemens will remain closed indefinitely due to extensive damage caused by an electrical fire.
Hackel said Wednesday’s fire damaged key parts of the county’s computer, Internet and phone systems.
The fire broke out during the mid-morning hours, forcing evacuation of the 13-story building located at 10 N. Main. Departments such as the Register of Deeds, sheriff’s civil division, prosecutor’s office and the county’s finance and human resources divisions are located there.
Hackel said he had signed a local state of emergency declaration that will allow him “to get the county up and running in a faster manner.”
He said departments in the Administration Building located nearby were continuing to operate, some in a limited capacity. The county courthouse just north of the closed buiding was open but employees were working without phone or computer services.
“There is going to be a relocation of people for an extended period of time,” Hackel said. “No one is going back into that building until there’s a complete overhaul.”
Hackel said there was water damage along with damage from fire and smoke. Initial reports blamed the incident on a faulty water pipe, resulting in water dripping onto electrical equipment in the basement of the building.
The county was working on purchasing a primary, temporary backup server to get the county back online, he said, restoring both internet and phone services to their fullest function.
Hackel added the county has been working on updating the Old County Building for some time now.
“Although this situation will create a temporary disruption of county services, it prompts a tremendous opportunity for us to expedite the process of upgrading our facilities and IT systems,” said Hackel.
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