LITTLE ROCK — A fire overnight badly damaged the Camden Public Library and destroyed a significant portion of its collection, officials said Sunday.
The blaze is believed to have started near back offices in the structure on Harrison Avenue before spreading to the attic, where it became difficult to put out, said Director Lisa Pickett. The roof was mostly destroyed and the building will likely have to be torn down, she said.
"It's devastating," Pickett said by phone Sunday. "Several of my old employees have been here and they said it's like watching your house burn because it's so much a part of your life. It's a part of everyone's life here."
Crews were called about 2:30 a.m. to the building, which is officially called the Public Library of Camden and Ouachita County, and they remained there battling hot spots late Sunday morning.
Pickett said firefighters were able to remove roughly 75 percent of the genealogy room, which housed older records pertaining to county and family history and other irreplaceable items.
The rest of the collection was not as fortunate. Though the flames didn't reach much of it, many of the books suffered water and smoke damage. Some items, though, were saved.
"The firemen formed a line and cleared out as many shelves as they could," Pickett said. "We very much appreciate that."
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, a firefighter who identified himself only as Capt. Medford said Sunday morning. Pickett said it was likely caused by an electrical problem.
Camden Police Department Sgt. Rodney Franklin said his agency and the fire department were conducting a joint investigation into the cause. He said it was too early to tell what might have sparked it, but that it was not preliminarily considered suspicious.
Franklin said it's a tough loss for the community.
"It saddens me," he said. "I remember going there as a kid."
The library, a Greek-revival building constructed in 1954, was a "beautiful" part of Camden that will be hard to replace, Pickett said.
"It was such a big resource for the community," she said. "It's terrible."