Firefighters are battling a massive fire that’s been burning for more than two-and-a-half hours on the Seaside Park, New Jersey boardwalk, which was rebuilt following extensive damage sustained during Hurricane Sandy.
Local news stations, including ABC6, report that the blaze started around 2:15 p.m. in the 1800 block of the boardwalk at the Kohr Brothers ice cream shop.
The fire has engulfed a number of buildings and according to some reports explosions were reported from within the Kohr building, and several firefighters and residents were being treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
“It’s consumed about three blocks of our boardwalk businesses,” an officer with the local firefighting unit told local television station ABC7. “It’s going to be a struggle.”
Crews are reportedly having problems getting adequate water to contain the 5-alarm blaze, the cause of which is under investigation, according to a local CBS affiliate.
Images of the fire show plumes of smoke that have engulfed the full expanse of the boardwalk.
A roller coaster at Seaside Park was pushed into the ocean during Hurricane Sandy, becoming a symbol of the storm’s wrath.
