Fire In Ocean City Hotel That’s Being Demolished

A fire burned out of control for about six hours at a vacant century-old hotel on the Jersey Shore where demolition had begun this week.

Fire at Ocean City's Bellevue Hotel

The blaze at the Bellevue Hotel blanketed blocks of Ocean City's downtown with heavy smoke before firefighters brought it under control late Friday afternoon.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Demolition crews had been preparing to remove asbestos from the building before the fire broke out.

Demolition work began Thursday with workers using blowtorches to cut off fire escapes from the structure, which dates to 1908, The Press of Atlantic City reported.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)