FARMINGTON — Just over a week after it sustained damages in a multimillion-dollar fire, part of the Franklin Health Medical Arts Center will reopen Monday.  

The west wing, lobby and ground floors have been inspected and deemed safe.

“Multiple people have inspected the Medical Arts Center over the last
week and the building meets life safety codes,” said Gerald Cayer,
Franklin Community Health Network executive vice president. “The
original chimney and boilers are not in use.” 

That means patients with appointments with Franklin Health Women’s
Care, the Martha B. Webber Breast Care Center and orthopaedics can go
there, rather than to the temporary locations established last week.

However, the east wing, which sustained the most damage, remains closed. That wing contained Franklin Health Surgery, urology and pediatrics. Officials believe it could take four to nine months to renovate that part of the building. They plan to announce new temporary locations for those practices next week.  

A hotline has been set up for patients who are unsure of where to go for their appointments. That number is 779-2163.

The Franklin Health Medical Arts Center is a 58,000-square-foot building connected by a long hallway to Franklin Memorial Hospital. The center opened in 2008.

Firefighters were called to the building early in the morning on January 30. It took 92 firefighters from seven towns to deal with the blaze that caused an estimated $8 million to $9 million in damages. Officials believe the fire was accidental and started in the attic, near the chimney, but the State Fire Marshal’s Office has said it will take a couple of weeks to determine the exact cause.