Reposted from NBC5.com

Vermont Natural History Museum works with fellow UVM departments to salvage items

Less than 24 hours after a fire, sparked by construction work, ripped through the roof of Torry Hall, recovery has begun.

“I drove in yesterday morning and said well, that could be it, that could be the end of my life, my professional life. I started here 43 years ago, when I was hired as curator of this collection,” Pringle Herbarium director Dr. Dave Barrington said.

Luckily, the majority of the artifacts in the Vermont Natural History Museum were unharmed.

“We've got a collection, it's essentially intact, and we are just going to go forward and figure out and secure the little damage there is,” Barrington said.

Barrington also said some items in the Vermont Natural History Museum do have major water damage.

“There is always material that is in process, it's getting ready, it's getting prepared to be added to the collection, and those collections took a hit,” Barrington said.

In 2014, the university received a $470,000 grant to upgrade the museum.

It allowed for metal cases to be installed. Without that protection, things could have been much worse.

“The wooden cabinets would have incinerated, we would have lost the whole thing,” Barrington said.

Buildings and organizations across campus are now stepping up, offering temporary space for artifacts.

Wet items will be laid out to dry or put in a freezer to be slowly worked on.

It will take many months for Torry Hall to be fully repaired. The hope is that it will eventually be the permanent home for the museum.

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