STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- A fire that apparently started in the kitchen of a closed pizza restaurant destroyed three businesses and damaged two others early Thursday in the city's historic shopping district.
The two-alarm fire broke out about midnight at Leonardo's Pizzeria after it had closed for the night, then spread to adjacent buildings housing the Kresge-Labar pharmacy and the Seasons Clothing store.
It took firefighters nearly three hours to bring the flames under control.
Two restaurants on either side of those buildings, the Siamsa Irish Pub and Mollies, were damaged by smoke and water.
No injuries were reported.
Stroudsburg Fire Chief Butch Kochanski said the blaze could have spread to more buildings because the three buildings that were destroyed had no fire walls.
Kochanski said the buildings housing the Siamsa Irish Pub and Mollies were structurally sound despite the smoke and water damage.
Jeff Wilkins, the borough zoning officer, said an excavating machine cleared debris to reduce the risk that the fire would rekindle. He said it was too early to tell if the historic buildings would have to come down.
Officials were investigating the cause of the fire.
