As if going through Superstorm Sandy wasn't bad enough, the Jersey shore has suffered a fire, according to the Associated Press. A boardwalk that was rebuilt after being destroyed in the storm was reduced to ruins.
There were 300 to 400 firefighters were at the fire on Thursday, when it burned for eight hours, destroying 32 businesses in Seaside Park and crossing into Seaside Heights.
The fire stopped at Lincoln Avenue, and according to Seaside Park Fire Chief Brian Gabriel, there is no telling how much destruction would have occurred if the fire hadn't stopped there. The embers sparked a small fire at the Casino Pier amusement park, which had been badly damaged last year during Sandy.
Some makeshift sand dunes saved part of the newly rebuilt boardwalk in two shore resort towns as it burned for eight hours.
"It's devastating," Shirley Kreszl, who has rented a summer home in Seaside Park for decades, said. "I've been crying all afternoon.
"Haven't we been hit enough?" she continued. "We try to rebuild and just when we think we saved a little bit of our town, this happens. It's just not fair."
The fire broke out in Seaside Park and spread north into Seaside Heights. Firefighters ripped out a 25-foot section of the boardwalk that had just been rebuilt five months earlier. The void was filled with giant sand piles to create makeshift dunes designed to halt the spread of the fire to save the northern portion of the boardwalk that the area depends on for financial security.
The dune was successful.
"That appears to have done the trick," Mayor Robert Matthies, of Seaside, said.
On Friday, firefighters were still pouring water on the hot spots on the areas that were still smoldering. The heavy rain helped put out the remaining fire.
There was no immediate indication of whether the fire appeared to be suspicious or accidental, according to Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Ocean County prosecutor's office. Their first priority was putting it out and securing the scene.
A detailed investigation was set to begin on Friday.
News coverage of the fire in Seaside.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
