Fire burns buildings at Flight 93 memorial

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — A fire burned administrative buildings at the Flight 93 National Memorial in western Pennsylvania Friday.
 
A complex of four modular trailers, the headquarters, conference facilities and storage for the Flight 93 Memorial, was quickly destroyed by fire.   It took fire crews about an hour to get the fire under control because of high winds.
 
"The flames were whipped up by high winds and despite the actions of our staff, most of the buildings were destroyed," said Flight 93 Superintendent Jeff Reinbold.
 
"It was blowing straight toward the other buildings where it started at one end, and it was going through straight through the buildings," said Stoystown Fire Chief Donald Deaner. 
 
National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said no injuries were reported.
 
Officials believe the fire started on a walkway that leads to a kitchen area.  There's no word on how the fire started, but officials don't believe the fire is suspicious.
 
Litterst says the flames did not affect the memorial itself or construction of the visitor's center. The buildings are about two miles from the actual Flight 93 proper.
 
The National Parks Service issued the following statement:
 
"Neither the memorial proper nor the new visitor center currently under construction were affected, as the headquarters is located approximately two miles from those sites."
 
Gordon Felt, president of the Families of Flight 93 released the following statement, "We are deeply saddened to learn that a fire occurred at the Flight 93 National Memorial headquarters. We understand that no one was injured, and we are grateful for that. We await further details as to the extent of the damage, and the cause of the fire."

Channel 11's Joe Holden reported an estimated 10 percent of the valuables associated with the crash of Flight 93 were in the buildings.  Fortunately, officials said those items were stored in fire-proof safes and filing cabinets.
 
As for 800 recordings, the oral histories of Flight 93, officials told Holden they were saved from the flames.
 
"We've very thankful that so much was saved," said Reinbold.
 
The memorial is expected to be open to visitors Saturday.

• FREE APPS! | LIKE US ON FACEBOOK! | FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!

WPXI