WILTON — The Town Office and Public Safety buildings will reopen to the public Thursday after efforts this week to eradicate a flea infestation.

Wilton Town Manager Maria Greeley stands  Wednesday outside the Town Office, which was been closed for three days because of a flea infestation. She met Wednesday with a representative from Modern Pest Services of Augusta to assess how to eliminate the pests from the office and Public Safety Building. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal

“The Town Office and Public Safety Building have been professionally treated for the fleas,” Town Manager Maria Greeley said Wednesday evening. “We are confident that our buildings are safe for both employees and residents to return. Therefore, we will be open tomorrow for normal business hours.

We appreciate everyone’s patience during this unexpected situation.”

Employees voluntarily returned to the Town Office on Wednesday as efforts to rid the building of fleas continued for a third day.

“The fleas are not as bad today,” Greeley said as she waited for a representative of Modern Pest Services of Augusta to arrive to help eliminate the biting insects from the office and nearby Public Safety Building.

“We just really need to be proactive the next few days,” she said. “We are doing everything we can. It’s the safety of our employees and our residents.”

Greeley said employees were given the option to come to work Wednesday and elected to do so. The office is not open to the public on Wednesdays but staff regularly work that day.

“We’re family. We work together,” she said.

The office was closed to the public Monday and Tuesday after employees arrived Monday and their ankles and legs were soon covered with fleas, Greeley said Tuesday. “Some of us had bites. We tried to take it into our own hands,” she said.

They bought over-the-counter flea fogger, followed the directions, evacuated the building and aired it out for two hours. They returned and cleaned all afternoon, but when they arrived Tuesday morning the fleas were still there, she said. They fogged the office again and when Greeley returned Tuesday afternoon the insects were still prevalent.

On Wednesday, Steve Overlock, commercial account manager for Modern Pest Services in Augusta, arrived to assess the situation and treat the office to get rid of the pests.

“I told them to continue to vacuum and empty the contents of the vacuum into a plastic bag and seal it up,” he said.