The Carlisle County Courthouse in Bardwell was destroyed by fire Wednesday morning. The fire began around 6 a.m. Bardwell's Police Chief says the building is a total loss, but that no one was hurt.

Crews tore the building in half to contain the fire. Now that the fire is under control the main concern is to get all the important documents out of the building.

The good news in that most of these papers have been kept in fire proof vaults. Crews continue working to get these vaults out.

County Judge-Executive John Roberts says the obvious priority is to get county government back up and functioning as quickly as possible for citizens who depend on county services.

"Our county officials and the court officials that will need to relocate in temporary facilities have been out today checking on a number of options. We’re planning to come back together at 3:30 p.m. to discuss what they’ve found and try to finalize as much as possible today. We have several options to consider," Judge Roberts Said.

A team of technicians from the Commonwealth Office of Technology and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet are preparing to assisting Carlisle County officials with efforts to get back up and running. Once telephone and internet connections are reconnected state officials will move aggressively to assist in re-establishing necessary services need to allow offices to reopen.

Meanwhile, two-lanes of traffic have been restored on U.S. 51 through Bardwell. Kentucky Department Of Highways personnel and Carlisle County Deputies had reduced traffic to one lane near the 7 mile marker for much of the day to allow emergency vehicles unrestricted access to the court house. Motorists are advised to continue using caution through the area into the evening hours.

The most shocking part about the fire is that this isn't the first time it has happened.

In October of 1980, Bardwell lost their first courthouse to arson. Now the people of Bardwell are saddened and shocked to be going though this again.

“We've lost all that. You know a lot of county memories are there in the courthouse. It's devastating. It's devastating to the county, it's devastating to the city,” said Phillip King.

There is no word yet how this fire started. Officials said it could be a number of things from spontanious combustion to something electrical. Residents in the area fear arson and facing the same situation they did more than 25 years ago.

The building had no sprinkler system making a tough situation even more difficult for firefighters. Approximately 4 or 5 fire departments responded to the fire. NewsChannel 6 will have more details at 5 and 6 p.m.

BARDWELL, Ky. (AP) - Carlisle County officials say a pre-dawn fire gutted the county's courthouse

Firefighters in the western Kentucky town at Bardswell are still fighting the fire that's burning at the Carlisle County courthouse which stareted sometime before 6:30 a.m. EST today.

No one was inside at the time the fire started. County Judge-Executive John Roberts says the 30-year-old one-story courthouse housed offices for about two dozen employees, including his own. Roberts said the county will move its employees to temporary offices.

Officials are also dealing with water runoff from the firefighting efforts. They say water is freezing and causing hazardous road conditions on U.S. 51 in Bardwell.

UPDATE:Recovery Operations Underway

Upon receiving of the fire that destroyed the Carlisle County courthouse, the Administrative Office of the Courts immediately activated its Kentucky Court of Justice Emergency Management Plan. There are no court cases on the docket for this week and officials are working with the local judges and circuit clerk to determine if court can take place, as scheduled, on Jan. 2.

Here is an update of recovery actions taken:

- The Carlisle County Office of Circuit Court Clerk will be relocated immediately to temporary office space at 324 U.S. Highway 51 in Bardwell. The phone number there is 270-628-0145. The Office of Circuit Court Clerk will move into more permanent space as soon as a portable trailer is available. The Office of Circuit Court Clerk trailer will be located adjacent to the trailers being supplied for the Carlisle County government offices, which will be located near the Fire Department off of U.S. Highway 51.

- Restoration of driver's licensing services begins Thursday at the Carlisle County Office of Circuit Court Clerk and this service should be fully operational no later than Jan. 2. Citizens may call 270-628-0145 to confirm when this service is available.

- The Masonic Lodge has offered the use of its space and efforts are underway to outfit a courtroom there. Court will be held at this location until more permanent space can be secured. The Masonic Lodge is across the parking lot from where the portable trailers will be located off of U.S. Highway 51.

- Carlisle County's court records were stored in a part of the courthouse away from the most intense area of the fire. A team from the AOC Accessioning Division, which specializes in the maintenance and storage of court records, is en route to determine if any court records can be salvaged and restored.

- Personnel from the AOC Departments of Court Facilities and Technology Services are also en route to assist with the recovery efforts. They will help restore computer and phone technology and provide office furniture and supplies to ensure a smooth return to court operations.

Background: The Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort provides administrative support for the activities of 4,000 Kentucky Court of Justice employees, including the elected offices of justices, judges and circuit court clerks. The AOC also oversees construction and maintenance of court facilities statewide.