NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Plumes of dark smoke could be seen for miles Friday night after a fire broke out at a former Atlantic City school.
Calls for the three-alarm fire at New Jersey Avenue School came through around 6 p.m.
“This is one of the most difficult fires you could fight,” said Atlantic City Fire Chief Scott Evans.
The school has been closed for more than a decade and is scheduled for demolition this summer. Evans said in preparation for its demolition, workers had pushed all the remaining materials inside the building to the middle of its three floors, where authorities believe the fire started.
“This building is completely wide open, so you know, there’s no safety system, so to speak. This has proven to be a very difficult fire, as it’s in the center of the building,” Evans said.
People were advised to avoid the area as fire crews worked to get the flames under control.
The school was built in 1925 and closed in 2012. It was damaged later that year in Hurricane Sandy and deemed unusable by the school district. In July of this year, the district announced its plan to demolish the building.
Authorities say no one was hurt. What sparked the fire is not yet known.