The amount of restoration work required at a St. James Town building badly damaged by fire last summer has pushed the tentative return date even further, the property management says. More than 1,500 displaced residents from 650 Parliament St. who are currently living in temporary spaces across the city will not be able to return home until at least late August — more than a year since a six-fire alarm broke out in the building’s electrical system. “The situation is fluid and evolving,” said Danny Roth, spokesperson for Wellesley-Parliament Square (WPSQ), the property management for 650 Parliament and several other buildings in the area.He said they believe the fire started in the south tower’s bus duct — the system that distributes hydro through the building’s common areas and south tower suites. The flames were mostly confined to the electrical closets, but too much pressure from the heat caused soot to migrate to other areas in the building through the mechanical chases.A Star photographer was given a guided tour of the premises Friday. The electrical room in the basement where the fire is believed to have originated now has all new equipment and power is running into the central unit, but Roth said electrical work on the floors above must be completed before the system can be switched on to the apartments. All the ceilings and walls have been painted over with white pigmented shellac, a special paint used to suppress the smell of smoke. Work continues to connect cables from the electrical room to each unit in the building.Roth said contractors from Access Restoration Services Ltd. were hired to do the job, and they have been thoroughly cleaning soot residue, making masonry repairs, installing fire stops, replacing carpets, installing new ceiling framing and drywall and applying protective paint to walls, ceilings and trim.The bulk of repairs, however, are to the building’s main electrical systems, which require ...
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