Historic southern N.J. inn severely damaged by fire
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Houston Elementary's library shelves were nearly empty after tattered and obsolete books were purged. (Jana Shea/for NewsWorks)
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(Jana Shea for NewsWorks
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Neighborhood volunteers from Mutual Mt. Airy and the local town watch help sort, classify and label incoming book donations. (Jana Shea/for NewsWorks)
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Fire officials say an early morning blaze that severely damaged an historic inn in southern New Jersey is not considered suspicious.
Firefighters responded to the Bedford Inn in Cape May around 5:30 a.m. Saturday and found the fire burning in the rear. The site, used as a bed and breakfast, was unoccupied at the time.
The Press of Atlantic City reports the blaze spread quickly through the three-story building, which was built in 1883. Authorities say it utilized “balloon construction, with long framing members and continuous open spaces within the walls, which makes it tougher to stop fires once they’ve started.
It took about 90 minutes to extinguish the blaze. One firefighter was treated at a hospital for back injury.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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