Jersey Shore boardwalk, rebuilt after hurricane Sandy, consumed in fire
Two New Jersey beach towns devastated by Superstorm Sandy will once again need to rebuild, after a fire quickly consumed dozens of businesses along the towns’ boardwalk.
About 100 firefighters remained on the scene on Friday, putting out hot spots after containing a fire that started at a frozen custard stand in Seaside Park on Thursday and blazed out of control for hours, moving several blocks into neighboring Seaside Heights.
Jersey Shore boardwalk fire Thursday night consumed much of the area rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy
Crews removed 25-feet of the boardwalk to halt the blaze and save the remaining boardwalk, filling the area with giant sand piles.
“That appears to have done the trick,” said Seaside Park Mayor Robert Matthies.
No serious injuries were reported.
Governor Chris Christie said state agencies were ready to help residents rebuild again and praised local resilience after Sandy pummeled the New Jersey coast in October 2012.
“We have endured and begun to come back from the devastation of Sandy. We will not let these fires destroy those efforts,” he told a news conference.
At least 30 businesses were damaged by the fire, Christie said, including such Jersey Shore favorites as Bubba’s Dog House, Kupper’s French Fries and Maruca’s Tomato Pies.
“It’s piles of rubble, it’s piles of just char and debris, caved-in buildings with no walls and no roofs,” said Brian Gabriel, chief fire coordinator for Ocean County. “It just looks like a bomb went off.”
