Flight 93 National Memorial Park fire - A fire outbreak that began in the headquarters of Flight 93 National Memorial Park complex on Saturday afternoon has completely destroyed two buildings.
Reports indicate that the fire started at about 3:10 pm and "were whipped by high winds and, despite efforts, first by park staff and then by local emergency responders, all three of the buildings in the complex are a total loss," said Mike Litterst, a National Park Service Public Specialist.
All staff and volunteers working in the 9/11 memorial, located in Shanksville, Pa, are reported to have been successfully evacuated.
The buildings razed by the fire housed a number of memorabilia and their facilities served important functions for the daily upkeep of the memorial located in Shanksville.
The administrative and staff offices along with conference auditoriums and some of the memorial's archival and curatorial collections are reported to have been lost to the flames.
Some collections were reportedly saved by staff members before they evacuated the premises of the memorial, which stands on the exact spot were terrorists dropped the United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.
Reports indicate that officials have not been able to identify the extent of damage caused by the fire - although just 10% of the Flight 93 National Memorial collections were allegedly stored in these buildings. Other valuable collections are reported to be in fireproof safes.
Firefighters were quick to respond and after a long battle they successfully quelled the flames without incurring any injuries.
The cause of the fire is still unknown and local fire authorities are set to begin investigations while National Park Service operatives, who are reportedly on their way to the site, are expected to also join in the probe.
Reports indicate that despite the fire outbreak the memorial would still be opened to visitors on Sunday at the usual time.
According to Litterst, the decision to open the Flight 93 National Memorial is "because of the distant location of these [destroyed] buildings from the memorial plaza and the access road to reach the memorial."
