Over 20 days after an electrical fire in the basement forced a temporary closure, the Elm Grove Post Office will reopen Friday, Sept. 5, according to the village’s postmaster Jon Kloth.
Kloth was working in the front of the building the afternoon of Aug. 14 when he and his coworker heard a noise behind them, Kloth told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. They turned to find lights flickering and dark smoke coming from the vents.
Kloth immediately called 911, and the Elm Grove Fire Department responded quickly, he said.
The fire originated in the basement near the furnace after water in the wall leaked onto a panel, Kloth said. The fire didn’t damage any mail and left minimal damage in the basement because fire crews put it out so quickly, Kloth said.
Elm Grove Fire Chief Brian Naylor confirmed the department responded to the post office for an electrical fire. He said the fire was not caused by the flooding that occurred days earlier.
The post office has been closed since, initially estimating it would reopen Sept. 11, the Elm Grove News-Independent first reported in its September issue. The closure has been especially inconvenient for residents with P.O. Boxes who have had to trek to the Brookfield Post Office to retrieve mail, Kloth said.
“I just want to apologize to the community for not being there,” Kloth said. “People depend on the post office.”
Depending on the time of year, around 250 people rely on P.O. Boxes at the Elm Grove Post Office, Kloth said.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Bridget Fogarty covers Brookfield, Wauwatosa and Elm Grove for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be contacted at bfogarty@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Elm Grove Post Office will reopen Sept. 5 after an electrical fire forced closure Aug. 14
Reporting by Bridget Fogarty, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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