HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito took a tour Thursday of the damage from a fire in historic Harpers Ferry.
The blaze damaged three building housing nine businesses.
“It’s just devastating to see the destruction in our most historic town, Harpers Ferry,” Capito said. “Nine businesses wiped out. But you have to look at all the community responders, the different fire companies that responded. It’s miraculous that fortunately no one was hurt.”
Capito thought that local, state and federal resources would have to be combined to demolish and rebuild the destroyed buildings. She said the historic nature of the ruins makes the repairs more complex in terms of cost.
“The buildings that were burned were some of them built in the 1830’s and 1840’s,” she explained. “That presents a challenge in terms of trying to rebuild. And it’s important for the tourist industry that you have authenticity.
Overall, Capito was impressed with the response of the community and was hopeful for the road ahead.
“The mayor and the town council have just been phenomenal trying to respond,” she said. “They say they’ve gotten a lot of outpouring across the country. It’s going to take a lot to get it back, but I have confidence we’ll be able to do it.”
Multiple fire companies from Jefferson County responded to the fire at the time. They were joined by crews from surrounding counties including Berkeley, Loudoun, Va., Washington and Frederick, Md.