Electrical faults blamed in Wachovia Bank fire

A fire that displaced 150 workers and heavily damaged the bottom two floors of the historic Wachovia Bank building on South Broad Street Monday night was caused by faulty electrical wiring and equipment, fire officials said.

The dollar amount of the damage is still unknown, Executive Fire Chief Daniel Williams said.

The fire started in a work cubicle on the south side of the mezzanine level of the 123 S. Broad St. building, Williams said. Both the bank branch on the first floor and the second floor were closed yesterday, but the rest of the building remained open.

Wachovia spokeswoman Barbara Nate could not be reached for comment yesterday. She said Monday that the two floors were likely to be closed through the end of the week. - Susan Snyder