The plan is to take out the third floor so that a temporary roof can be placed on the remaining parts of the house but city official Katrena Ramsey said the goal is for the house to look like it did before the fire. (Photo by Candice Black)

RAVENSWOOD — The historic McIntosh House in Ravenswood suffered an electrical fire June 3 and volunteers are working to clean out the home.

About 15 volunteers came to the house Sunday to clean up the first floor. All the debris and furniture was cleaned out and the first floor is now dry.

“I’ve got good friends and it just goes to show people have a passion for this building,” said Katrena Ramsey, superintendent for the Ravenswood Board of Parks and Recreation. “They came here because they wanted to.”

The furniture is being stored at various places throughout town and Ramsey said she rented a climate controlled storage unit to house the items until they are able to be put back in the home after its restoration.

A construction specialist came to inspect the property which will help the insurance company decide what the next steps are. Ramsey said the building and its contents are insured but are considered separate. She is making a list of the value of the contents in the building.

An electrical box in-between the two door frames was the likely cause of the fire at the McIntosh House on June 3 in Ravenswood. The entire third floor was a loss and the second floor sustained major damage. (Photo by Candice Black)

This morning, volunteers will come again to clear out the second floor, which should take about a week, Ramsey said.

The room where the fire started on the second floor was completely destroyed but some other rooms on the same floor were not affected other than smoke damage.

The building next door, which is connected by an enclosed walkway, only sustained smoke damage, Ramsey said.

“It’s crazy to me what did and didn’t burn,” she said. “It’s just the nature of a fire.”

The third floor, which used to serve as an apartment, will be cleared off and leveled out so a temporary roof can be put on in order to keep the weather out of the remaining parts of the house.

Volunteers will start cleaning up the second floor of the McIntosh House, pictured here, following the fire that took place earlier this month. (Photo by Candice Black)

“We’ll get the top floor removed and the roof removed, (then) we can start the process of temporary roofing and covering everything,” Ramsey said.

If possible, Ramsey said the building will be rebuilt the way it was before the fire.

“I think we can. If you take everything off of here, you’ve got a two story building that needs finished on the third story, it needs a roof. If you’re building a house, you’re doing it one floor at a time,” she said. “That’s where we are.”

Ramsey is in contact with a woman whose ancestors built the house and the two are learning more about the home’s history.

A GoFundMe was started last week with a goal of $100,000 and so far, over $3,000 has been raised. Checks can be made out to Kim Love and can be mailed or brought to Wesbanco at 2 Wall Street in Ravenswood with McIntosh Fund in the memo line.

Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.