A raging fire broke out Thursday, at an ice cream shop on the Seaside Park Boardwalk in New Jersey, consuming businesses and destroying all the rebuilding that was done in the area after Hurricane Sandy devastated the place a year ago.
According to the New York Times, the fire broke out a little after 2 pm. The flames grew vicious within hours as the wind swept the blaze northwards. About 80 percent of the boardwalk has been damaged and almost 50 businesses ruined. Strong winds of up to 30 to 40 miles per hour help spread the fire rapidly
People thought that the fire was coming from under the Boardwalk. Three explosions, that could be propane tanks blowing up, were also heard from restaurants on the boardwalk.
NBC News reports that about 400 firefighters from nearby towns were called to the scene, they cut a 20-foot wide trench along the boardwalk at Ocean and Lincoln Avenues to stop the fire from spreading.
The firefighting crew got the blaze under control after seven hours of grueling struggle. However, even after the flames were brought under control, the firemen worked till Friday morning to douse the blaze
The portion of the boardwalk that caught fire was the part that needed no rebuilding as it had been spared by the hurricane Sandy, reports ABC
No major injuries were reported. However, many firefighters are being treated for intense fume inhalation. No official word about what caused the fire is out yet. Apart from the strong winds, the construction material (tar roofs) also fuelled the blaze, reports ABC.
Residents and officials are devastated by the fire episode.
"After going through Sandy ... now there are blocks and blocks of the boardwalk ablaze, with Kohr's Custard and Three Brothers Pizza, and the historical carousel in Seaside Heights, a block into the Heights, that's compromised as well, it's absolutely, absolutely devastating what's going on right now. It's just disbelief right now," Francis Larkin, Seaside Park Police Chief said to WABC.
"I said to my staff, 'I feel like I want to throw up. And that's me, after all the effort and time and resources that we put in. I know how I'm feeling. I can only imagine how the residents and business owners in this area are feeling. My heart goes out to them. That's why I'm here to make sure that every resource is brought to bear to contain this problem," Chris Christie, N.J. Governor said to Yahoo News.
Check out a video on the fire below:
