PITTSBORO, N.C. - Firefighters worked to gain control of a major fire at a historic courthouse in North Carolina.
Officials said Thursday that everyone was safely evacuated from the Chatham County courthouse. Smoke and flames billowed from the building nearly two hours after the blaze began, and firefighters were still battling hot spots late Thursday night.
Pittsboro Fire Chief Darryl Griffin said the fire apparently started in the attic, but no cause was given.
The courthouse, built in 1881 and undergoing renovation, has been the site of an ongoing dispute about a videotape purportedly showing former presidential candidate John Edwards in a sexual encounter. Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones told The Associated Press on Thursday that materials turned over in the case are in a vault away from the courthouse.
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