Carpenters' Hall was set on fire on Christmas Eve
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It's known as the site of the first-ever Continental Congress, which led to the Declaration of Independence. On Christmas Eve, officials say the historic Carpenters' Hall was set on fire.
Officials believe someone intentionally set the fire. The majority of the building is undamaged.
CBS Philadelphia was able to get inside Carpenters' Hall and you're instantly hit with the strong smell of burnt wood.
A charred door leading to the basement of Carpenters' Hall stands out amongst irreplaceable artifacts dating back to the 18th century.
"Fortunately, it was contained to the basement so we didn't have significant damage to the building itself or to the main hall." Carpenters' Hall's executive director Michael Norris said.
He says someone broke into the building and started a fire in the basement.
"What was in the basement was stuff from the 20th century so for us fairly recent, contemporary records," Norris said.
Philadelphia fire officials say at around 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve, they found smoke coming from the basement.
Crews put out the flames in 30 minutes leaving behind burned archival material.
"Overall, I guess it could've been a lot worse for such a historic structure," he said.
Visitors at Independence Hall say the key landmark should have been better protected.
"There's never any cops," James Dougherty, from Old City, said. "There's no police around here. There's no security. They say they have park rangers, but I don't see them."
"I believe that we have to maintain all of our past history and preserve these buildings for the future generation," Bryan Halfred, a tourist from Florida, said. "These historical documents cannot be reproduced."
When the fire broke out, the hall was already closed off to the public for preservation efforts.
Now, tourists will have to keep waiting even longer.
"We had originally planned to reopen in early February," Norris said, "that's not going to happen so it'll be pushed back a couple months probably."
From the original chairs used in the first Continental Congress to a 1788 banner.
Norris says the recovery process will be worth the wait.
The investigation is ongoing. Officials say they're still looking through surveillance video but are asking the public to come forward with any information.
