The third-floor landing at 20 Depot Square in Peterborough was found vandalized Wednesday morning.

Larry Schwartz entered the building around 9:50 a.m. and noticed the damage. 

“As soon as I turned to the right and saw all the yellow powder, I didn’t know what to think,” Schwartz said, “There was so much of it.”

Later he realized it was from a fire extinguisher, which he found leaning up against the corner of the waiting area with the pin pulled out and discarded on the floor.

The client Schwartz was scheduled to meet was already waiting for him in the conference room across from his office. The powder from the fire extinguisher had traveled down the hall, in through the open conference room door and had formed a layer over the table and chairs.

“She was just as confused as I was,” he said. 

Schwartz’s office door, which is also labeled as the “hub room,” had a hole punched through it. Schwartz believes it was caused by a fist. Another suite had damage around the door handle, and at the top of the stairway, a panel was torn out of the wall. 

According to Police Chief Scott Guinard, it appeared someone had left an exterior door unlocked overnight, which allowed at least three people to enter. In addition to discharging the fire extinguisher, he said they damaged two doors and a door frame.

The case is under investigation.

“The cleanup is going to be extensive and somewhat costly,” Schwartz said.  

He said nothing was stolen and all offices were still locked with no evidence of being entered.

“Reluctantly, we’ll have to adapt protocols now,” Schwartz said, including being vigilant about locking access doors at night. 

Last summer, Schwartz said someone had turned and left the water faucet on in the women’s restroom, which caused significant damage.

Bill Fonda contributed to this story.

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