Fire devours part of New Jersey boardwalk hit by Superstorm Sandy
A fire broke out Thursday along a seaside boardwalk on the New Jersey shore, destroying businesses that had only recently started recovering from devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy last year.
News video showed flames roaring along the boardwalk in Seaside Park, a community about 80 miles south of New York City with a year-round population of about 2,200, according to the town’s website.
The fire erupted at an ice cream shop and quickly roared out of control, fueled by winds of 30-35 mph.
PHOTOS: From Sandy to boardwalk fire
“It got totally out of control,” the town’s police chief, Francis Larkin, told local TV news stations as video showed a massive black cloud floating up from the boardwalk and flames shooting out of businesses.
There were no reports of casualties, but Larkin said three blocks of boardwalk businesses had been consumed.
The New Jersey shore was hit particularly hard when Sandy made landfall in October, and communities such as Seaside Park had struggled to rebuild boardwalks, homes and businesses in time for the summer season.
“After going through Sandy and starting this recovery effort, and just to see these blocks and blocks of boardwalk ablaze … it’s just absolutely devastating,” Larkin told WABC in New York.
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