Tremont City post office to open in former fire station

Staying with the story

The Springfield News-Sun has reported on this story since the post office was first destroyed by fire last November.

A Tremont City post office branch, forced to close after the building that housed it was destroyed by fire, is expected to open later this year in the village’s former fire station.

David G. Van Allen, a spokesman for the United States Postal Service, announced Friday that the post office will open across the street from the Village of Tremont City Government and City Offices, 26 E. Main St., before Christmas.

“We have to basically refurbish the place and make it fit for the post office. That takes some time,” Van Allen said. “We expect to be up and functioning before the Christmas holiday.”

The new location comes after a fire on Nov. 5, 2014, destroyed the large, historic building on West Main Street in the downtown area of Tremont City that previously housed the post office, along with vacant businesses and apartments.

The building was empty when the fire was reported at about 1:45 a.m. and no one was injured. There was no loss of mail due to the fire, Van Allen said.

The fire resulted in no changes in mail delivery or customers’ addresses, but did result in the temporary loss of postal retail services, he added.

The State Fire Marshal was called in to help investigate the cause, German Twp. Fire Chief Tim Holman said. But he said the township fire department and the state were unable to determine the cause of the blaze.

“There was no utilities there, so we couldn’t find anything; so officially it went down as undetermined,” Holman said.

Residents in the area must continue to go to the post office branch in North Hampton, about six miles away, to retrieve their mail until the new facility opens, Van Allen said.