Boardwalk Fire Erases Months of Rebuilding at Jersey Shore
Nearly a year after Hurricane Sandy devastated the Jersey Shore, a boardwalk that was just rebuilt was ravaged by fire on Thursday, as a blaze that began in an iconic ice cream shop quickly engulfed businesses along a stretch of beach in two towns.
Flames and black plumes of smoke shot high above the Boardwalk in Seaside Park, where the fire began around 2:30 p.m. Within hours, strong gusts of wind swept the fire north along the adjoining Boardwalk of Seaside Heights, where a roller coaster had sat mangled in the ocean for months and became a symbol of the storm’s damage.
Funtown Pier, nearly destroyed by the hurricane, collapsed in flames. And nearby, the fire appeared to have ruined a historic carousel that had been painstakingly restored after the storm and reopened just months ago. In all, about 20 businesses over a six-block stretch were almost completely destroyed, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said at a news conference.
More: Boardwalk Fire Erases Months of Rebuilding at Jersey Shore