Fire damages N. Pa. Ave. house in AC

Atlantic City - A suspicious fire caused further damage to a boarded-up home on North Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday evening, but there were no injuries, a fire official said.

The call about a fire on the 100 block of North Pennsylvania Avenue came in at 6:53 p.m., and firefighters arrived a minute or two later to see heavy flames coming from the first floor of the four-story Victorian building, said Battalion Chief Michael Mooney.

Firefighters attacked the flames with heavy hoses, and put out the fire in five or 10 minutes, Mooney said.

"A building like this is a major concern, because it's wide open," and oxygen can fuel the flames and spread them quickly, Mooney said.

The fire started on the first floor on the left side of the unoccupied building, Mooney said. The siding is made of asphalt shingles, which are petroleum-based and burn quickly.

The building has already been the site of several multi-alarm fires, Mooney said.

The cause is being treated as suspicious and the arson unit was investigating, Mooney said.

The 100 block of North Pennsylvania Avenue and a few blocks of Baltic Avenue were closed while firefighters put out the flames.