An unknown electrical problem is being cited this evening as the probable cause of a fire that destroyed the historic Pulaski Railway Station, town Fire Chief Bill Webb said.

The exact cause may never be known, Webb told town council members gathered for a work session this evening.

The fire, reported to authorities just after midnight Monday, began in the attic on the east end of the building, he said. It is believed to have been accidental, he said.

It took more than two hours for crews from the Pulaski, Draper, Dublin, Newbern and Fairlawn fire departments to gain control of the blaze and several more hours to fully extinguish it. Fire crews were on the scene until 9 a.m. Monday.

The station housed the Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Museum and played host to farmers markets and other events. The museum contained photographs, items from the town's founding industries and its railroad past and newspapers that chronicled local and national events.

Efforts to restore the town landmark are already under way.

Experts from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources are on site evaluating the damage and beginning plans for restoration, Pulaski Town Manager John Hawley said earlier today.

Important parts of the building’s infrastructure seem to be salvageable, including some of the stone walls and part of the roof, Hawley said.

Removal of debris from the building is ongoing, and crews are taking pains to protect what’s left of the structure. The building and its contents were insured through the Virginia Association of Counties for $800,000, Webb said.

Firefighters carried out of the building as many of the artifacts as they could. Volunteers, including Blacksburg Museum director Terry Nicholson, are helping inventory and preserve the items, Hawley said.

Nicholson, who is a former director of Historic Smithfield in Blacksburg, praised town workers for their quick action in saving many of the artifacts. Still, they were wet and soot damaged and needed to be dried out quickly to prevent further damage from mold, Nicholson said.

The New River Heritage Coalition — an association of all the major museums and historical groups in the valley — put together a disaster action plan six months ago to help coordinate curatorial response to just such an event.

"It’s unfortunate we had to test it this soon," Nicholson said.