RTL was granted an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the aftermath following the fire that destroyed Junglinster town hall on 26 January, revealing the extensive recovery efforts led by Mayor Ben Ries and emergency services to restore normalcy.
On the night of 26 January, a devastating fire ripped through the Junglinster town hall, leaving the building in ruins.
The fire broke out in the central building and quickly spread to the surrounding wings. Mayor Ben Ries, who was woken up in the middle of the night by a phone call informing him of the fire, recently offered RTL an exclusive insight into the municipality's current situation.
Fire fighters battled the blaze for around 36 hours as it destroyed the upper archives completely. Fortunately, Ries says these had no major historical or cultural value. The more important documents, kept in the lower levels, merely suffered some water damage.
Around 60 people from 14 different municipalities were deployed to extinguish the fire. The cause of the blaze is not yet known. An investigation is still ongoing, says Ries, but he believes arson can be ruled out.
Some council staff have been moved to the old municipal buildings for the time being, with the most essential departments setting up just three days after the fire. This transitional solution means that residents can still make use of the civil registry, revenue, school, population, and tax services, thanks to the twelve employees working in the old offices.
As for the new town hall, plans are afoot to rebuild it as it was, but it will likely take a few years to be completed.
In early May, the municipal council will move to an office building in the Lënster Bierg zone, while they wait out the three to four years of renovations.
