A fire destroyed a popular local bowling alley Friday, and one Ocean township family says it was celebrating a birthday when it all started.

The three-alarm fire at Memory Lanes on Newman Springs Road brought out at least 20 fire trucks from several towns. It wasn't an easy fight with the rain and thick smoke around the building, according to fire officials. The walls caved and the roof collapsed while firefighters battled the flames.

According to the owner, no one was inside the building when the fire started, but Natalie Dougherty, of Ocean Township, says her daughter Caroline was in the middle of her 11th birthday celebration.

A fire official says the fire started in an office, then spread and ruptured a gas line causing the fire to intensify. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The owner of the alley says they will knock down the rest of building once it stops smoldering.