A stretch of the New Jersey shore that was brutally battered last year by Hurricane Sandy was engulfed by a raging fire that started in a popular frozen custard shop on Thursday, officials said.
The Seaside Park blaze quickly spread north to other businesses along the busy boardwalk and into neighboring Seaside Heights, where the MTV reality series "Jersey Shore" was filmed.
The wind-whipped fire started around noon at Kohr's Frozen Custard, which had been part of the boardwalk landscape since the 1920s, then quickly attacked several neighboring businesses.
"It's raging," said real estate agent Michael Loundy, who works on tourism related projects with the borough of Seaside Heights as he watched fire companies battle the flames.
"It is absolutely raging. The wind is blowing something fierce, making it very difficult for firefighters to fight."
The flames were destroying new boardwalk wood that had just been replaced days before Memorial Day weekend as both towns raced to recover from the devastation of Superstorm Sandy.
A frame grab showing a fire on the beach in Seaside Park, N.J.AP/Fox 29
Much of the Seaside Heights boardwalk was destroyed, and a roller coaster that plunged off a damaged amusement pier became a defining image of the storm.
Seaside Park's boardwalk survived Sandy and did not have to be rebuilt like the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, officials said. But the two sections connect.
Officials said the fire had destroyed at least 80 percent of the boardwalk in Seaside Park.
"This is another tremendous wrench in the recovery," Seaside Park Mayor Robert Matthies said.
The town's police chief, Francis Larkin, told reporters that firefighters were cutting old and new boardwalk planks to help contain the fire.
"You can feel it from a block away it's so hot," Larkin said.
Larkin said strong winds made the blaze worse, and sent embers blowing as far as eight blocks away, sparking small but controllable fires elsewhere including one at a nearby condominium complex.
Embers also landed on area homes and businesses.
Shortly after 4 p.m. firefighters were ordered to pull back because of the intensity of the flames, officials told The Star-Ledger. Residents and visitors stood nearby and watched the thick black smoke rise above the boardwalk. Huge plumes of smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.
Authorities say several firefighters and residents were being treated for smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported.
Governor Chris Christie was en route to the scene Thursday evening, said his spokesman, Michael Drewniak.
"Pictures and video of the fire are startling and sad given what Seaside Park and neighboring Seaside Heights have endured with Superstorm Sandy," Drewniak said in a statement. "Our concerns and prayers are also with firefighters and first responders at the scene battling the blaze."
Officials with the Toms River Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff's Office, Seaside Heights Police and Seaside Park Fire Department were all on the scene.
"We've got everyone in the county coming," said Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd.. "We're in trouble here. We've got major problems."
Officials and business owners said the devastating fire hit just as the season was rebounding.
Nancy O'Brien, who runs a dance club about a mile and a half from the fire, said the smoke, even that far away, was a nuisance.
"I can't believe this," O'Brien said. "How much more can this town take?"
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Part of Jersey shore destroyed by Sandy engulfed in flames
Dengan url
http://bahayaprostat.blogspot.com/2013/09/part-of-jersey-shore-destroyed-by-sandy.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Part of Jersey shore destroyed by Sandy engulfed in flames
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Part of Jersey shore destroyed by Sandy engulfed in flames
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar