Hot spots may hamper investigation into the Seaside boardwalk fire; perhaps 50 businesses damaged

Photos: Seaside boardwalk fire and aftermath

Continuing hot spots could hamper investigators trying to figure out the cause of a fire that charred four blocks of bars, pizza shops and T-shirt stands — perhaps 50 businesses in all — on Seaside's boardwalk that still was trying to recover from Superstorm Sandy.

The initial problem is spots where flames could keep flaring up among the rubble from the blaze that shot fireballs 50 feet into the sky Thursday night before crews got it contained.

In a news briefing Friday, Gov. Chris Christie said it would be "irresponsible for any of us to speculate" what sparked the fire that is believed to have started in or near a frozen custard stand.

He said the firefighters working on spraying down any flare-ups are also doing their best to preserve evidence for the fire investigation team that's trying to piece together just what happened.

In the meantime, plans to rebuild again already are in the works.

Bob Martucci, the borough administrator in Seaside Park, said it will cost $600,000 to rebuild the borough-owned boardwalk that was burned in his town. That would cover just the stretch of boardwalk itself, not the businesses that were ruined.

Christie said Friday that government grants or loans could be made available to businesses to cover costs that insurance will not cover.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democrat whose district is just a few miles from the boardwalk, said he would ask if federal money sent to towns to rebuild after Sandy could be used to help.
“We’ll make the best of the situation,” said Domenic A. Maruca, who moved his Maruca’s Tomato Pies restaurant to Seaside Heights after its old Seaside Park location was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, only to watch it go up in flames on Thursday. “You can’t let it beat you.”

Governor Christie echoed that sentiment at a press conference on Friday, revisiting a role that he embraced in Sandy’s aftermath last fall.

“I will not permit all the work we’ve done over the last 10 months to be diminished or destroyed by what happened last night,” he said, standing across from a still-smoldering pizza shop and a gutted arcade that he used to patronize with his family.

“We will rebuild,” he added. “We’ll make new memories for our families, because that’s what we do.”

It took more than 400 firefighters from as far south as Cape May and as far west as Burlington County nearly nine hours to bring the fire under control on Thursday. Christie declined to speculate about what might have caused the fire, which appears to have started in a Kohr’s frozen custard stand on the boardwalk in Seaside Park before spreading quickly as fist-sized embers were carried northward by 30 mph winds.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office is leading the investigation, which the governor said is expected to take several days before properties can be turned over to their owners. A Prosecutor’s Office spokesman, Al Della Fave, would not say whether the fire is considered suspicious, noting that the investigation had just begun.

Della Fave likened the task awaiting the investigators to an archeological dig, with neat piles of evidence that may be significant and other piles of items that can be considered trash.

“As facts unfold, then you make the determination,” he said. “That’s on top of interviews with area business folks who were witnesses. The top two things are determining the point of origin and any related accelerants that might have caused it to spread.”

About 100 firefighters remained on the scene on Friday, with the fire 95 percent contained, Christie said. Firefighters spent the day dousing the damaged buildings with water from an areal ladder. Christie said hot spots likely would emerge through the weekend as structures continue to collapse.

The fire started around 2:30 p.m. Thursday and was finally brought under control by 11 p.m. after it swept through a four-block area from Stockton Avenue in Seaside Park to Lincoln Avenue in Seaside Heights. No serious injuries were reported, but the blaze destroyed more than 50 businesses according to officials in both towns — 32 in Seaside Park and more than 20 in Seaside Heights — many of which were recently rebuilt after being badly damaged by Sandy last October. The storm-damaged Funtown Pier amusement park, which was expected to reopen next year, collapsed in flames.

The brisk winds that blew beneath the boardwalk and spread embers to tar rooftops proved to be the biggest challenge, said Brian Gabriel, fire coordinator for Ocean County.

“As soon as you have tar [roofs], 30 mile per hour winds and a fire, you’ve got trouble,” said Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd.

The wind sent embers flying several blocks inland, sparking fires on some residential decks, Boyd said. The heat from the flames was so intense, he added, that “it melted everything it was near.”

After using hydrants for several hours, firefighters turned to a system that siphoned 5,000 to 6,000 gallons of water per minute from Barnegat Bay.

The fire was held back only when 25 feet of the boardwalk at Lincoln Avenue was ripped up and a ditch was dug to prevent it from spreading. Three trenches in all were dug, including one at Stockton Avenue and another at Dupont Avenue, Boyd said.

“We had some brilliant firefighters,” Boyd said, crediting them with the decision to carve the trenches.

President Obama on Friday praised the first responders who helped fight the fire and pledged support for state and local efforts to rebuild and recover again.

Daniel Shauger, the manager of the Funtown Arcade, arrived Friday morning to find the building still standing, but he said he did not know how badly it was damaged. He had not yet been allowed in.

The arcade survived Sandy relatively unscathed. The basement was wiped out and games were damaged, but Shauger says the business opened in June and 70 percent of the games were fixed by the end of the summer. He said he had been looking forward to a successful fall season.

“We still had plenty of nice weekends, and it all got taken away,” Shauger said.

Despite the one-two punch of Sandy and the fire, Shauger vowed that the arcade would be back next year to entertain the crowds once more.

Eric Faranda, the owner of Shore Amusements in Seaside Heights, which was gutted by the fire, said he wasn’t sure whether he would rebuild. Faranda, who has been in business for 19 years, said he’s still paying the post-Sandy bills for installing a new floor, walls, rugs and equipment.

“It’s one of those times in life that I didn’t have the words,” Faranda said, recalling the sight of his business engulfed in flames after driving from a business he owns in Paramus. “Just to see everything I’ve worked for gone in a number of hours is horrible.”

Christie said representatives from New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs, Department of Banking and Insurance, Department of Environmental Protection and Economic Development Authority will be at the scene of the blaze this weekend to assist property and business owners.

Rep. Jon Runyan, who represents Seaside Park and Seaside Heights in Congress, said in a statement on Friday that he had been in contact “with several government agencies” to determine whether any federal assistance would be available for rebuilding the boardwalk and businesses affected by the fire.

Seaside Park Borough Administrator Bob Martucci said the town’s mayor and council, Land Use Board and construction department will work with the affected business owners “to ensure we pave the way so there’s no red tape in their way so they can rebuild.”

The borough will need to replace about 2½ blocks of boardwalk, Martucci said. He estimated that the project could cost about $800,000.

The boardwalk devastation drew crowds of onlookers armed with cameras and smartphones, as well as a pair of priests who quietly led a small group in prayer.

“Let Jersey live and live strong,” said the Rev. Tim Holder, who gave the blessing with the Rev. Joan Pettit Mason. “These are our homes and our lives.”

The two clergy members from Christ Episcopal Church of Toms River said they felt compelled to pray for the people of Seaside Heights and Seaside Park because so many of them are still struggling to recover from Sandy’s devastation.

“Having been through such a tragedy in October and now to face this, it’s beyond understanding,” Mason said.

Holder recalled the damage Sandy inflicted on his town and expressed frustration at this latest blow.

“What’s going to be next? God, how much do you want us to take?” he said. But he quickly added that he was hopeful that the seaside communities would once again rebuild and thrive.

“This is a place of great hope and spirit,” he said. “This will lead to greater life.”

Staff Writer Shawn Boburg and Abbott Koloff contributed to this article, which includes material from The Associated Press.

This report contains information from the Associated Press.

Email: sudol@northjersey.com