An apartment complex in Lehighton that was gutted by an intense fire earlier this week has been razed.

By Tuesday afternoon, the tall structure that once stood at the corner of Second and Coal streets had been reduced to a pile of rubble.Contacted this morning, borough Manager Nicole Beckett said the bulldozing efforts began Monday afternoon, and wrapped up Tuesday afternoon."The borough has assisted in coordinating it with the owner," Beckett said. "We needed to make the situation safe before we could move forward."Beckett said the contractor in charge of demolishing the structure was Peter J. Radocha & Sons.The blaze initially broke out around 11 p.m. Sunday night at 256 N. Second St. Fire crews were on scene until after 3 a.m. Monday.They were then called back for a rekindle at 8 a.m. Monday, as a sea of firefighters from various counties remained on scene most of the day.Nine people were displaced from the apartment complex that was ravaged by the fire.Borough Fire Chief Patrick Mriss said two firefighters sustained weather-related injuries.The cause of the fire remains under investigation and is being looked into by a state fire marshal.Red Cross volunteers were on the scene to set up a shelter at the Lehighton Recreation Center Monday afternoon, but the borough shut the shelter down at 9 p.m. Monday after nobody used it, Beckett said.Coal Street, between Second and Third streets, was without power during the clean-up of the apartment building, while homes on Center Alley from Coal Street to Ochre Street were without power overnight.Beckett said power was restored to residents by around 3 p.m. Tuesday."I will be meeting with the property owner this morning," she said. "We need to handle now what's left, what needs to happen next."