Seaside Boardwalk Fire Was Six Years Ago Today

Today marks the six year anniversary of the fire than engulfed the iconic boardwalk of Seaside Park and Seaside Heights.

The blaze that destroyed 1000 feet of boardwalk and businesses that had been repaired/replaced following Superstorm Sandy which occurred only 11 months prior, was determined to have been caused by electrical wiring that had been corroded during the historic storm but not replaced during the rebuild. Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

In wake of Seaside fire ruling, officials call for vigilance on electrical inspections

In wake of Seaside fire ruling, officials call for vigilance on electrical inspections (via NJ.com)

By Erin O’Neill and Mark Mueller The danger lurked beneath the boardwalk all along. Decades-old electrical lines snaked under the weathered wooden planks in Seaside Park. Nearly 11 months ago, as Hurricane Sandy battered the shore, those lines were…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Seaside boardwalk fire ruled ‘accidental,’ report says

Seaside boardwalk fire ruled ‘accidental,’ report says (via NJ.com)

Investigators have ruled the massive fire that destroyed a large stretch of the boardwalk in Seaside Park and Seaside Heights last week was “accidental,” according to a report by ABC News that cites two anonymous officials briefed on the investigation…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Seaside Fire Aid Will Only Cover Cost Not Picked Up By Insurance, SBA

The Christie Administration announced this morning that government aid to assist businesses in recovering from the Seaside Boardwalk fire will only cover costs not reimbursed by insurance proceeds or by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Governor Christie announced over the weekend that the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) will make $15 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery monies available to affected businesses in the form of $50,000 grants and loans free of interest and principle payments for two years.

In announcement that the EDA will be providing CDBG-DR funding for debris removal assistance, the administration said, “the State will conduct an analysis of duplication of benefits and ensure that the CDBG-DR funds are used only to cover costs not already paid by other sources, such as insurance or SBA.  For the demolition of private structures, the state and/or municipality will place a lien on the property to enable recapture of any duplicative insurance proceeds, should they be paid later.”

• Tweet

Seaside boardwalk fire: Christie pledges grants, loans and aid to businesses and towns

Seaside boardwalk fire: Christie pledges grants, loans and aid to businesses and towns (via NJ.com)

SEASIDE PARK — Business and community leaders emerged from a private meeting with Gov. Chris Christie this afternoon relieved and impressed as the state announced it would offer $50,000 grants and $5 million in no-interest loans to each business owner…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Seaside Boardwalk fire: Onlookers survey the damage as Christie meets business owners

Seaside Boardwalk fire: Onlookers survey the damage as Christie meets business owners (via NJ.com)

SEASIDE HEIGHTS—The beach is dotted with sunbathers today and the sound of barkers still fills the air along on the boardwalk between Seaside Heights and Seaside Park, where a massive fire on Thursday destroyed 50 businesses. Police, fire and construction…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

‘This was a killer’: Seaside looks to regroup after boardwalk fire; Christie touts Jersey grit

‘This was a killer’: Seaside looks to regroup after boardwalk fire; Christie touts Jersey grit (via NJ.com)

By James Queally and Mark Mueller/ The Star-Ledger Daylight revealed the panorama of devastation. Along a four-block stretch of boardwalk in one of New Jersey’s most popular summer playgrounds, almost nothing remained intact. The fire that roared…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Arson may be to blame at Seaside Boardwalk massive fire as “suspicious” cause gets serious play by prosecutors

Arson may be to blame at Seaside Boardwalk massive fire as “suspicious” cause gets serious play by prosecutors (via The Jersey Tomato Press)

Gerard Esposito A fireman on the scene of the massive fire at the Seaside Boardwalk. Whenever there is a fire, every fire chief tells the press the thing: I can’t comment until we finish our investigation. But as the world watched in horror on Thursday…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Christie on the boardwalk in Seaside

• Tweet

Seaside boardwalk fire is still smoldering; no cause determined yet

Seaside boardwalk fire is still smoldering; no cause determined yet (via NJ.com)

By Lisa Rose and Seth Augenstein/The Star-Ledger OCEAN COUNTY — The flames along the Seaside boardwalk appear to be out. But some of the burnt businesses are still smoldering – and the smell of burning wood still hangs heavy along the shore, mixed…

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet