Little Rock Dealing with Firehouse Fungus

The city of Little Rock`s scrambling to find a pot of money to fix an insidious problem - mold. The destructive and potentially hazardous fungus was discovered by accident. Inspectors checking out heating and air systems at the city`s fire stations in advance of renovation work stumbled across the mold. Now an estimated 850 thousand dollars will be needed to clean it up. While mold frequently sickens people who occupy the same buildings it does, Chief Rhoda Kerr says none of her firefighters have reported any illnesses. Station 9 on North Shackleford Road is one of the most affected buildings. Since its exterior and interiors walls have been compromised by mold, crews there will have be relocated while repairs are made. The city`s promising fire protection will not be compromised while the mold is being dealt with. Though an accidental check discovered significant mold problems in 19 of 20 structures, Little Rock has no plans to do any regular checks for mold.