Date: Fri 19-Mar-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

Maritime-fire-Sigworth

Full Text:

Fire Damages Maritime Aquarium, But Museum Is Still Open

(with artwork)

BY SHANNON HICKS

NORWALK -- A fire in the special exhibitions gallery at The Maritime Aquarium

in Norwalk around 8:30 pm on March 9 severely damaged the gallery space and

crippled the temporary exhibition "Aliens From The Sea."

While the fire was a setback, the museum remains open to the public during

regular operating hours. The public can still visit the main aquarium area and

gift shop, classes and special programs continue during afternoons and

evenings, and the IMAX theatre continues to present films on its regular

schedule.

"No one was hurt, and there were a couple of events going on in the aquarium,

but the alarm went off and everyone got out, no problem," said Dave Sigworth,

a spokesman for The Maritime Aquarium.

"We're really OK," he continued. "More than anything, we just want people to

know that the rest of the building is fine. We're up and running. We haven't

burned to the ground."

No one was hurt in the blaze, which remains under investigation. As of this

week, Mr Sigworth said, the inspection remains under the direction of the

aquarium's insurance company. "The fire department seems to think it was

something electrical that caused the fire, but I don't think it's going to

become any more specific than that," Mr Sigworth said Wednesday morning.

"There was one area with a lot of electrical equipment. The cause probably

won't be narrowed down to anything more specific than that," he added.

Two tanks of fish were lost, and the exhibition space will be closed for

months while under reconstruction. Firemen from Norwalk Engine Companies 2 and

5 were on the scene and had the blaze out within 17 minutes of when the first

call went out.

The special exhibitions gallery space was constructed of a dome-shaped

aluminum frame, with fabric that stretched over its "bones." It is not part of

the permanent building of the Maritime Aquarium, but its entrance is from the

main building.

"Half the skin of the tent is gone, and so that is open to the sky and

elements," Mr Sigworth said. Aquarium staff was not yet allowed into the

burned-out area as of the end of last week, but the aquarium will certainly be

rebuilding its gallery area, Mr Sigworth added.

"We have no idea when everything will begin rebuilding," he said. "It'll be a

while, but we hope to do it as quickly as we can." A main concern is to have

the space reconstructed and to have a leased exhibited in that area before the

summer months, which is the aquarium's busy season, Mr Sigworth pointed out.

The exhibit that was running, "Aliens From The Sea," offered visitors videos,

photographs and giant models demonstrating the diverseness of the marine

world. Its highlight was 15 large tanks of live animals, along with special

lighting effects that made visitors feel as if they had joined the animals

under the water's surface.

The fire's casualties were two of the tanks of animals, Mr Sigworth said. One

tank held a species of fish called Atlantic hagfish, which is "like an

eel-shaped deep sea scavenger," said the spokesman. In the second tank was a

group of giant sculpin. Each tank held about a dozen fish, he said.

The aquarium is hoping to find "some sort of space to be able to bring these

animals back out on display," said Mr Sigworth.

"Aliens From The Sea" was scheduled to continue through the end of the year.

The special gallery space was one of the areas within the aquarium/museum

building used for the aquarium's temporary exhibits. Between exhibits, when

museum staff took out one show and put up a new one, the gallery space would

be closed to the public.

"For most people, if you come down to the aquarium today, it would be similar

to the occasional month where we are between exhibits, when there is a sign on

the door to that space saying it's closed," Mr Sigworth explained. "That

happens -- those exhibits change every 9 to 12 months, and there's usually a

month in between, so it's not that uncommon for people to find those doors

closed."