The
blaze broke out in the early morning hours on Sunday and ripped
through the property before firefighters could extinguish the
flames.
"We are deeply saddened by the fire that damaged our historic
Wright Company airplane factory, the first purpose built
buildings for the aviation industry," Mackensie Wittmer,
executive director of the National Aviation Heritage Area, said
in a written statement.
"We are grateful to the fire department for their quick and
brave response, and we are working to assess the extent of the
damage and the impact on our heritage, Wittmer said.
The National Aviation Heritage Area, which manages the Wright
Brothers factory and several other historic sites in the Dayton
area, said officials held an emergency meeting on Monday morning
to assess the damage.
The factory, which was built in 1910-11, still contains
"significant original building features" from the time it was
built, including a wood roof and support structure.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Matthew
Lewis)
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