April 11, 2001 — Employees at the V.I. Justice Department office in Castle Coakley will have an extra-long Easter holiday because of noxious fumes.
The fumes, from a material used by a contractor working on the Justice Building roof, apparently entered the air-conditioning system on Friday, according to Attorney General Iver Stridiron. They caused several employees to become ill or suffer allergic reactions.
When Stridiron visited the office on Tuesday, the odor was still strong, prompting him to close it down.
"As a precautionary measure, I decided to release the employees and told them not to return Wednesday," he said.
With the government holiday from Thursday through next Monday, that means office will not reopen until next Tuesday.
