The fire was almost certainly caused by an electrical fault of some kind given that it started in the attic where generations of different wiring intertwined the 142 year old pine rafters. It could be as simple as a squirrel taking a bite of an old wire or a short circuit that's been in the making for years, At this point, the cause is less important than deciding the path forward. The second floor, where the courtroom is, sustained massive damage including the collapse of the roof. The 1st floor has much less fire damage but extreme water damage and the basement is totally inundated with water, feet high. And yes, many of the old records and documents were in the basement and will be lost.   

Unless some state or federal grants are found, county tax payers will bear the brunt of the cost to replace or repair which will run into the millions. Sadly, the building was only insured for 2.1 million dollars, hardly enough to put things back in order. But before any decisions can be made on the path forward, a lot of information will be needed.

The big question will be, to rebuild/repair the old facility or to demolish and start from scratch. In the very near future, we will have structural engineers on site to make the determination as to whether the old building can even be saved. If it can, would it be best, if it costs millions extra, just to save the historic building or start from the ground up with a new facility. More information will be needed to make that decision.

In reality, the old courthouse only houses two major county offices and one courtroom. The Circuit Court Clerk and the Clerk And Master's offices are housed in the courthouse. The main courtroom located upstairs hosts the 9th Judicial District, Circuit Court and Chancery Court, quarterly proceedings. There are a couple of other minor offices in the courthouse that could easily be relocated to other facilities.

In the short term, the two county offices will be locating in the portion of the old Loudon City Hall building recently vacated when LUB moved to their new facility on Hwy. 72.

What ever the fix ultimately is, it will not be quick nor cheap. Expect inconveniences for a year or two at least.