PHOENIX — The Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting in east Phoenix can use some help after sustaining thousands of dollars worth of damage in recent storms.

The venue near Van Buren Street and Galvin Parkway was pummeled by an onslaught of rain and groundwater runoff on Sept. 26 and again on Oct. 13.

The Phoenix Zoo, which is across the street from the Hall of Flame, closed for three days last week to recover from damage after the second round of storms.

“The two storms each dumped about 4 inches of rain,” Dan Baker, a curator for the museum, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Wednesday.

The gift shop, library and other areas of the Hall of Flame experienced flooding after water got into the building through doorways and under doors and walls, Baker said.

The museum’s Hall of Heroes, which honors American firefighters who lost their lives since 1800, was among the sections breached by floodwaters.

“It’s a really important place for us,” Baker said. “We have a 9/11 exhibit there. And, unfortunately, we got about 3 to 4 inches of water on the floor in the gallery.”

Hall of Flame damage could have been worse

On the positive side, the deluges came during daytime hours, while museum staff was present, Baker noted.

“We were able to mobilize immediately and mitigate losses by moving exhibits — physically moving them to higher parts of the building — before serious damage was done to any of the artifacts,” he said.

Still, the damage to drywall, displays, carpets and ceilings was extensive. On top of that, significant excavation is needed to protect the facility from future flooding.

“A loss of this nature is catastrophic in that it outstripped our budget for years to come,” Baker said.

How to help Hall of Flame recover from damaging storms

The Hall of Flame is a nonprofit enterprise that depends on charitable support from donors, museum visitors and the community.

One of those supporters is a volunteer and corporate sponsor who started a GoFundMe campaign to assist with the storm recovery.

The campaign, which can be found here, is looking to raise $100,000.