FLIGHT 93 CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL SAFE FROM FIRE

A fire at the Flight 93 National Memorial destroyed three administrative buildings on Friday, leaving officials concerned about some of the memorabilia and archival material stored there.

Wind-whipped flames didn't touch the under-construction memorial and visitors center, which are about 2 miles away on the large property in rural western Pennsylvania, National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said. No one was injured in the fire, whose cause is under investigation.

The buildings comprised the park's headquarters, with conference facilities, storage space and the superintendent's office. About 10 percent of the memorial's archival collection was kept on site, and many objects were in fireproof safes, officials said.

Park staff saved an oral history collection and photo collection. The Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the memorial last month was not on site, officials said, but a full inventory will have to wait.

Officials have said they hope construction of the visitors center, which is estimated to cost $17 million to $23 million, will be finished by June. That would give park officials three months to install exhibits in time to open for the 14th anniversary of the crash.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS FOR 9/11 HEROES (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n38a10.html)

To read the complete article, see:
Fire destroys 3 buildings at Flight 93 memorial (www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fire-burns-3-buildings-at-flight-93-memorial-site/ar-BB7iIrn)

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