By Jesse Liebman --
February 26, 2010
New Hampshire firefighters say that a Hampton fire that began in an unoccupied oceanfront hotel and was fanned by winds of near hurricane force has destroyed an entire block.
Fire Capt. David Lang says the blaze grew out of control later Thursday or early Friday in the vacant three-story Surf Hotel in Hampton, a densely-populated summer community .
Lang says flames from the wood-frame building have quickly spread to other four buildings on the block.
No injuries have been reported.
The weather at the time was rainy and windy because of a storm moving up along the Atlantic coast, which helped stir up the flames. The National Weather Service said the region had the strongest wind gusts of the storm at the time the fire was reported, at 68 mph.
The Surf Hotel is located on Ocean Boulevard, which is lined with hotels, condos, restaurants and arcades.
The street is integral to the region's bustling summer economy but typically is vacant this time of year.
