State and Annapolis investigators yesterday were investigating the cause of a late-night fire that damaged the roof near the cupola on the Louis L. Goldstein Treasury Building at 80 Calvert St.
Annapolis Fire Department crews extinguished the fire, which broke out at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Damage to the building, which is 35 years old, was estimated at about $2,000, said Cpl. Leonard Clark, a Fire Department spokesman. The cupola's interior was not damaged, but some of its wood panels were charred, he said.
For the past few months, construction crews have been rebuilding the picturesque tower because the wood panels were rotting, said Robert Swann, assistant state comptroller.
"We believe the fire started at the base of the cupola on the roof; we're not exactly sure of the cause yet," Mr. Clark said. "They were doing construction and there was a lot of lumber at the base of the cupola," which could have contributed to the fire, he said.
Before fire crews arrived, two state security guards tried to put out the fire with hand-held extinguishers, he said.
In 1981, also during construction, fire erupted in the cupola and ,, caused $400,000 worth of damage, Mr. Clark said.
Microwave, camera stolen from SHA office
A microwave oven, a 35mm camera and a combination television-radio cassette player were stolen from a State Highway Administration office in Davidsonville earlier this week, county police said.
The break-in occurred at the office at Route 424 and U.S. 50 between 4 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday.