King of Pizza Burns

A well-known pizza restaurant on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, N.J., was gutted by fire Monday during a building renovation.

The Famous King of Pizza restaurant caught fire shortly before 4 p.m. Monday and firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in about 15 minutes.

However, the 39-year-old landmark pizzeria was destroyed, fire officials said.

The restaurant had been in that location since 1965 and was a popular place at Route 70 and Cornell Road near the old Garden State racetrack.

Police said that the restaurant was well-known and highly regarded, and it had been a staple in the community for decades.

The restaurant's owners said they were in the process of renovating the building, and the business was closed Monday so they could have workmen put in a new facade.

The facade apparently caught fire, and the building quickly went up in flames, as the owners were inside the store.

They were able to escape the blaze, and nobody was injured, officials said.

The owners also said they planned to rebuild the restaurant.

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