Blaze strikes historic NC courthouse where case is heard over purported Edwards sex tape
By APFriday, March 26, 2010
Fire strikes site of Edwards sex tape hearings
PITTSBORO, N.C. — Firefighters are still battling hot spots after a major fire struck 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 in Pittsboro. Smoke and flames billowed from the building nearly two hours after the blaze began. The cause was unclear.
The courthouse was built in 1881 and was being renovated.
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 that the materials turned over in the case are in a vault away from the courthouse.
