Blaze rages at historic NC courthouse where case is heard over purported Edwards sex tape

Fire rages at site of Edwards sex tape hearings

PITTSBORO, N.C. — Firefighters are battling a major fire at the historic North Carolina courthouse that’s been the site of a dispute over a video purportedly showing John Edwards in a sexual encounter.

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. The cause was unclear.

The courthouse in Pittsboro was built in 1881 and has recently been under renovation.

The building is the site of hearings into the handling of the video by a onetime aide to the former presidential candidate. Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones told The Associated Press on Thursday that the materials turned over in the case are in a vault away from the courthouse.