$1.25M Damage, Haley Mansion Fire Accidental: Chief

JOLIET, IL — Neon green Servpro vehicles lined South Center Street and Marion Street Thursday as the damage restoration company began cleaning up the mess caused by Wednesday afternoon's devastating fire inside Joliet's Haley Mansion.

As Servpro focused on the water damage, Joliet-based Construction by TIMCO had crews boarding up the third-floor windows and several holes in the roof. Joliet Fire Chief Jeff Carey told Joliet Patch's editor that the preliminary investigation determined that Wednesday's fire appeared to be accidental, and the fire started on the third floor.

Carey said that nobody was doing any work on the third floor of the Haley Mansion when the fire broke out. He said there were employees on the first floor, in the offices, as they were planning for a Wednesday night special event that just was hours away.

On Thursday, Carey told Patch that all the utilities have been shut off at the historic mansion.

Carey said the Joliet Fire Department determined that the preliminary damage estimate at the Haley Mansion was $1.25 million — and that figure does not include any additional loss of revenue from all the special events and wedding receptions that will have to be canceled now.

Without a doubt, Haley Mansion will remain closed to the public for a considerable time. On Facebook, the owners of the Haley Mansion pledged to reopen, writing, "We have every intention of restoring this beautiful historic mansion."

Carey is of the belief that the Haley Mansion could be back in operations within five months — just in time for summer, when wedding season arrives.

He said it will probably take about two months for insurance adjusters to go through the property and finalize their investigation. If that goes as planned, another three months will be needed for the repairs and remodeling.

Carey said the third floor and the attic sustained most of the damage from the fire.

On a positive note, the lower-level kitchen and banquet room did not encounter any fire damage, according to the fire chief.

The Joliet Fire Department arrived at Wednesday's fire at 3:45 p.m. and crews remained at 17 South Center St/, extinguishing hot spots and performing salvage property operations until 8:30 p.m.

The Haley Mansion was completed in 1893 after construction began in 1891.

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