Lisa Vernon Sparks
Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)
HAMPTON, Va. — Hampton Fire and Rescue Station 7 in the Fox Hill area of the city has closed until further notice due to asbestos contamination, city officials said Monday.
Firefighters at the 176 Fox Hill Road station were not hurt and have been relocated to station 5 at 416 Beach Road and station 4 at 2412 East Pembroke Ave., a city news release said.
Last week, during renovation work to install new carpet at the roughly 50-year-old station, city officials discovered that old floor tile might contain asbestos.
All work stopped immediately and the building was evacuated while fire officials inspected the tiles and tested the air quality.
The air quality was fine, but the tiles contained asbestos, city spokeswoman Robin McCormick said in an email. A licensed contractor will abate the issues that were discovered.
“We’re still waiting for an official timeline, but remediation should take at least a few days, if not a week or so,” McCormick said in an email.
The single-story fire station was built in 1967, according to city tax records.
Firefighters from station 7, which serves portions of Fox Hill neighborhood, Elizabeth Lakes and Willow Oaks sections, will remain on duty.
Hampton doesn’t believe the temporary closure will affect response times, city officials said.
In the event more fire aid is needed, on-duty battalion chiefs monitor radio traffic and can dispatch additional units — or closer units — as necessary.
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