Water Damage

The Haddon Township public library in Westmont will remain closed for most of the week because of interior water damage. A passerby notified police Sunday of the problem, which involved a malfunctioning pump in the boiler room. Though only about 10 books were damaged, carpeting and drywall have required repairs, according to a Camden County Library spokesman. The branch is tentatively scheduled to reopen Saturday. Due dates will be extended on items checked out from the branch and fines waived on overdue items for the duration of the closure, according to library officials.

A smoky, four-alarm electrical fire last night cleared the restaurant-ship Moshulu at Penn's Landing of 200 customers and employees, and sent two customers, three firefighters and the restaurant manager to hospitals. Reataurant officials said today there was no fire damage to the restaurant portion of the ship, which suffered only smoke and water damage. Fire officials today were still investigating the cause of the fire that damaged the turn-of-the-century ship, which is the oldest steel-hulled sailing vessel still afloat.

Homeless in Haddonfield. That's the situation involving the Haddonfield boys' basketball team, which has been without a gym for 2 1/2 weeks and will play most of its remaining "home" games at Rutgers-Camden. No gym, no problem. Haddonfield, which was forced out of its gym because a broken pipe caused water damage to the hardwood floor, hasn't missed a beat. The defending Group 2 state champion Bulldogs (17-1) scored three more wins last week and have climbed into the No. 1 spot in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings for the first time this season.

Sometime over the holiday weekend, a valve on an old City Hall air-conditioning unit burst, sending buckets of water into the law library, City Council chambers, the Mayor's Reception Room, and the north portal. The damage was so severe that Council may not be able to use its ornate chambers until next fall. In the next few weeks, Council will consider the mayor's budget, school taxes, and a controversial cut in the city wage tax. But late yesterday, no one knew where Council would hold its meetings and hearings.

Philadelphia taxpayers may have to spend millions to fix the water-damaged City Council chambers and other ornate rooms in century-old City Hall, but city officials have refused to disclose how much it would cost or even what caused the three-month-old flood. Even though the water damage was discovered April 1, there are still huge blowers stationed in City Hall to dry out the walls and ceilings - a sign of severe damage. "There's been no update, literally, since the time of the event," said Councilman Michael Nutter, who often wanders into the darkened Council chamber to see if anyone is fixing it. So far, he hasn't seen any work under way, but he noted that City Council's antique desks were returned to the chamber last week.

A water-damaged cable wiped out telephone service in the last few days for as many as 2,000 Warminster customers in a three- to four-mile area of the township. Some residents said yesterday they had been without service since Saturday, having to resort to cell phones and neighbors to get and receive calls. A 14-person crew has been working on the problem since Monday morning, according to Verizon Inc. spokeswoman Sharon Shaffer. Most customers should have had service restored by late last night, Shaffer said yesterday.

The Westmont Theatre went dark a decade ago, but it still attracts fans. Foes, too. Lately, they're disagreeing on whether a recent cost estimate supports the notion of restoration or suggests the need for removal of the forlorn landmark in Haddon Township. To return the structure "close to its original state" would take $3.1 million, according to DF Gibson Architects of New York City. "That sounds good to us," says Allen F. Hauss, who heads the Friends of the Westmont Theatre.

ARMS FOLDED, Sen. Arlen Specter listens as Capt. William J. Jackman (center, with four stripes) describes water damage from a leaky roof at the Naval Hospital. Specter toured the South Philadelphia facility yesterday and said he was not convinced it was unsalvageable and should be closed.

A one-alarm fire in the 300 block of Prospect Street, Phoenixville, caused an estimated $45,000 damage Tuesday, a fire official said. About $10,000 of the damage was done to contents of a twin home, said Chief J.W. Brewer of the West End Fire Company. He said that the fire was accidental, but that the cause had not been determined. The fire began on the third floor of the house, where there were two bedrooms, he said. The fire company received the call about 11:30 a.m., and the fire was under control by noon, Brewer said.

A two-alarm blaze Sunday heavily damaged several businesses in a Medford shopping complex, authorities said. Firefighters encountered intense fire in the Kanamizu Japanese Restaurant in the Ironstone Village Center on the 500 block of Stokes Road shortly before 2 a.m, police said. The fire destroyed the restaurant and two vacant business, police said. Eight to 10 other businesses suffered either smoke or water damage or lost electricity. The blaze was placed under control around 3:16 a.m., police said.

As firefighters, their faces smeared with soot, milled about, venting the smokey fumes from the 86-year-old Penn Wood High School building, senior Dwayne Henry watched in disbelief. "Wow, that's crazy," he said several times. "It's been, like, my whole life. It's breathtaking. " An early morning three-alarm fire - which, authorities said, may have been set - heavily damaged the school in Lansdowne, Delaware County, on Thursday, perhaps forcing the school to shut down for the rest of the academic year.

LEAKING ROOFS, decades-old fire extinguishers, rotted walls, exposed wires and toilets that overflow into kitchens are just a sampling of the horrendous conditions that still plague some of the city's Parks and Recreation facilities, according to a report released Wednesday by City Controller Alan Butkovitz. A host of maintenance issues was first documented in 2004 and 2008 by the Controller's Office. Problems remain for many of the 28 sites that were selected for inspection in this year's review.

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. - No one was injured, but dozens were displaced when a fire ripped through a South New Jersey condominium complex. Residents reported hearing some sort of explosion and then saw flames coming out of the Heather Croft complex in Egg Harbor Township late Wednesday night. Assistant Fire Chief William Hancock tells WMGM-TV three units were destroyed and 12 sustained smoke or water damage. But fire walls helped contained the blaze from the other units in the building.

A two-alarm blaze Sunday heavily damaged several businesses in a Medford shopping complex, authorities said. Firefighters encountered intense fire in the Kanamizu Japanese Restaurant in the Ironstone Village Center on the 500 block of Stokes Road shortly before 2 a.m, police said. The fire destroyed the restaurant and two vacant business, police said. Eight to 10 other businesses either sustained smoke or water damage or lost electricity. The blaze was placed under control around 3:16 a.m., police said.

A two-alarm blaze Sunday heavily damaged several businesses in a Medford shopping complex, authorities said. Firefighters encountered intense fire in the Kanamizu Japanese Restaurant in the Ironstone Village Center on the 500 block of Stokes Road shortly before 2 a.m, police said. The fire destroyed the restaurant and two vacant business, police said. Eight to 10 other businesses suffered either smoke or water damage or lost electricity. The blaze was placed under control around 3:16 a.m., police said.

Police responding to a report of a disturbance found the body of a Norristown teenager inside a Chester County apartment that was on fire, officials said. The victim was identified as Kevin Allen, 17, who was staying at his father's unit in the Hanover Garden Apartments on East Schuylkill Road in North Coventry Township. The death was ruled a homicide, said District Attorney Thomas P. Hogan. State police, Philadelphia, and Chester County arson teams are investigating, he said. Hogan said that blood was found in the stairwell leading to the unit and that investigators were awaiting results of the autopsy and arson investigation.

Police responding to a report of a disturbance found the body of a Norristown teenager inside a Chester County apartment that was on fire, officials said. The victim was identified as Kevin Allen, 17, who was staying at his father's unit in the Hanover Garden Apartments on East Schuylkill Road in North Coventry Township. The death was ruled a homicide, said District Attorney Thomas P. Hogan. State police, Philadelphia, and Chester County arson teams are investigating, he said. Hogan said that blood was found in the stairwell leading to the unit and that investigators were awaiting results of the autopsy and arson investigation.

Peco Energy Co. made temporary repairs Sunday to underground cables in Lower Merion that briefly malfunctioned because of a water intrusion. The utility shut off electrical service to about 40 customers for 30 minutes Sunday afternoon so crews could safely assess the damage beneath Lancaster Avenue and Rittenhouse Place, Peco spokesman Ben Armstrong said. Permanent repairs will be made in the coming days, he said. - Andrew Seidman

Call it a Mummers miracle - three weeks early. The props and scenery that the Fralinger String Band believed had been burned to ashes in a warehouse fire were discovered wet but intact Tuesday, apparently protected by an interior wall. "It's fantastic. Fantastic!" said Fralinger captain Tom D'Amore minutes after he and others were allowed inside the building at Second and Wharton Streets. String band members who had grimly waited on the sidewalk erupted into handshakes and high-fives.