The Baltimore Sun
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The six-alarm fire that ripped through a building at Fort Meade last week was caused by malfunctioning heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment on the fourth floor, Army officials said yesterday.
Nathan Hale Hall, which is used by the 902nd Military Intelligence Group, a counterintelligence unit, received major roof damage from the Oct. 20 fire.
Officials don’t yet know how the equipment malfunctioned and led to the fire.
Damage estimates are pending the outcome of a final investigation.
Much of the building has been declared uninhabitable. Some workers have returned to the lower levels of the building, while others are working in other divisions.
Reconstruction efforts could take four months to two years, according to Jennifer Downing, a spokeswoman for the Army post in western Anne Arundel County.
Downing said officials could set up trailers to house displaced workers.