Capitol staff works remotely after fire

LITTLE ROCK — With the exception of a handful of state Capitol police officers, virtually all state employees who work in the state Capitol either worked remotely or from an office not in the state Capitol on Monday, spokespersons for the offices said Monday.

Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston’s office asked all offices at the state Capitol to consider having their employees work remotely or from an office not in the state Capitol on Monday in the aftermath of a fire in the Capitol’s cafeteria Friday night, Thurston spokesperson Jaime Land said Monday.

On Sunday, Thurston announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, the state Capitol would be closed to visitors through Thursday.

Land said Monday the secretary of state’s office employees are working remotely and will continue to work remotely until Thursday.

They will work remotely in order to “expedite the work of the restoration teams as they clean the Capitol and restore functions,” she said. “We are also waiting for the results of the air quality test to determine next steps.”

The air machines in the state Capitol are part of the restoration efforts after the fire in the cafeteria Friday evening, she said. The machines will be in the Capitol for as long as necessary, Land said.

“We are evaluating each day,” she said.

Land said the cause of the fire “is still under investigation and we do not have a cause yet.”

Alexa Henning, a spokeswoman for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Monday in a written statement that “Due to ongoing cleaning and restoration work, and out of an abundance of caution, the Governor’s office is working remotely.”

A fire in the kitchen basement cafeteria at the Capitol on Friday evening prompted firefighters to evacuate the building with smoke drifting up into the lower level of the building, a Little Rock Fire Department spokesman said Friday. The spokesman said there were no injuries reported and no serious damage other than heat and heavy smoke damage in the kitchen itself.

Cecilla Pond-Mayo, a spokeswoman for the state House of Representatives, said Monday the secretary of state’s office encouraged Capitol offices to work remotely until air quality testing is complete.

“Based upon that, the Speaker decided it would be best for employees to work remotely until the results are in and further information is provided by [secretary of state],” she said, referring to House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado.

“Legislative meetings in the MAC (Multi Agency Complex) building will continue to meet as scheduled,” Pond-Mayo said.

A meeting of the Senate and House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee is scheduled Tuesday morning in the Multi-Agency Complex immediately west of the state Capitol, and other legislative committee meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Oaklawn Event Center in Hot Springs, according to the General Assembly’s website.

The legislative committee meetings in Hot Springs are in conjunction with the Arkansas Economic Development, Division of Rural Services, and Arkansas Rural Development Commission’s annual rural development conference.

Several Bureau of Legislative Research employees who work in the Capitol are temporarily working in the bureau’s offices in the Multi-Agency Complex, said Jill Thayer, chief legal counsel for the Bureau of Legislative Research.

State Senate employees also are working remotely to allow for air quality testing and cleaning, said Ann Cornwell, secretary and director of the state Senate.

Legislative Auditor Roger Norman said a “few of our Capitol building staff are working remotely until we receive an ‘OK’ from the Capitol Police to occupy Capitol office space.

“Others are working in available space at the Victory Building,” he said. “We are working this arrangement until we receive word from the Capitol Police that the air quality is satisfactory to occupy the building.”

State Auditor Dennis Milligan’s office was advised by the secretary of state’s office “that air quality results would not be back until Thursday, so in an abundance of caution, our executive team made the call to move Capitol office employees to the Victory Building until then,” Milligan spokeswoman Stacy Peterson said.

The Victory Building is east of the state Capitol grounds.

Commissioner of State Lands Tommy Land’s employees assigned to the Capitol are working remotely “as we work to establish their working arrangements at the COSL Ringo Facility” in Little Rock, said Kelly Boyd, chief deputy commissioner of state lands.

The commissioner of state lands is complying with a request from the secretary of state, he said.

Some of the employees of the state treasurer’s Capitol office are working out of the Victory Building office and some are working remotely, said Heath McKim, a spokeswoman for state Treasurer Larry Walther.

“The chief of staff is arranging workstations at our Victory Building office and most will be working over there tomorrow,” she said.

“We will be working either remotely, or out of the Victory (Building) office until we are given the all’s clear by the Secretary of State’s office that the air quality in the Capitol is safe for our employees,” McKim said.

The Office of Lieutenant Governor is working remotely following the suggestion of the secretary of state’s office, said Sandy Hall, deputy chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge.

“Lieutenant Governor Rutledge expresses her appreciation to Secretary Thurston and his team for their cleanup efforts and for their prioritization of the health and safety of Capitol staff and visitors,” Hall said.