It all started with a leaky air conditioner.
The leak was originally discovered years ago in the basement air conditioner of the Station 8 firehouse in Chattanooga, TN, causing some mold growth around the firehouse. The issue was resolved - or so it was thought.
As firefighters at Station 8 came to realize in November 2013, the leaky air conditioning unit had not been properly taken care of, causing mold to be pulled into the air conditioner ductwork and thereby distributed throughout the firehouse.
The firehouse was closed on November 19, 2013 after Rainbow International of Chattanooga discovered the high mold levels following an initial inspection of the facility. Firefighters were temporarily relocated to nearby Station 6 as the restoration crew remediated the building.
“Mold can be a serious issue – you don’t want to breathe in high concentrations of mold,” says Eric Dill, Rainbow International of Chattanooga Owner. “The most important thing when dealing with mold is to identify and remove it as soon as possible.”
The mold spread cost about $35,000 in damage to the firehouse. Cleanup took about five days.
