Via: News14.com
Fire crews contained a massive blaze at the Chatham County Courthouse in Pittsboro Thursday afternoon. The Pittsboro Fire Department responded to the fire in the upper part of the building just before 4:45 p.m. Heavy smoke and flames poured from the building around 6 p.m. as firefighters fought the flames in the clocktower and the third floor.
Firefighters from Siler City, North Chatham, Moncure and West Sanford joined Pittsboro crews to help control the blaze. Crews continued to work to extinguish the fire completely Thursday night. The building has been in the middle of a major exterior renovation for the last four or five weeks and was surrounded in scaffolding.
Update
The clock tower of the Chatham County Courthouse collapsed overnight after a fire severely damaged the building Thursday afternoon. Deputies described the still-smoking building as gutted Friday morning. The clock tower fell into the building around 1:30 a.m, and all the floors have collapsed. Lower levels also sustained major water and smoke damage.
