Wind-swept fire damages 7 buildings in Ocean Grove, NJ. Historic Inn destroyed during fire in middle of storm.

Article by Graelyn Brashear at APP.com:

At least four buildings, including the historic Manchester Inn, have been reduced to charred rubble and three others damaged by a wind-swept fire in Ocean Grove early Saturday morning.

Dozens of firefighters battled the blaze, which began about 5 a.m. at the Manchester at 25 Ocean Pathway, said Michael Bascom, deputy emergency coordinator for Neptune Township.

Five homes facing Ocean Pathway and two facing Bath Avenue, which borders the block to the north, eventually caught fire. Several of the homes that burned were occupied, Bascom said, but residents were safely evacuated and none were injured. Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries, he said.

“When we arrived scene in very heavy wind, the Manchester and the house just west of it were fully involved,” Bascom said.

Soon, he said, five more buildings had caught fire as powerful winds blew flames and glowing embers into other buildings.

Such a wind-fueled blaze “is our biggest fear in Ocean Grove,” Bascom said.

“Our greatest fear was that we’d lose the Camp Meeting Association and all the tents,” which lie just one block west, he said. “We had embers shooting over great distances.”

But firefighters were able to contain the fire to a single block. But not without injuries.

Fire officials have reported two injuries, a male firefighter from the Ocean Grove fire department has suffered smoke inhalation and particles in his eyes. A female member of the Neptune First Aid squad complained of stomach pains at the scene.

Emergency crews evacuated dozens of structures, up to 20 people from the burning structures and nearby buildings.

Fire officials said there are no fatalities and believe they have accounted for everyone.

However, officials for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office say officials are checking tax records and calling owners of the various properties to make certain no one is missing.

Fire officials say they are still working to determine what caused the blaze.

Four hours after the initial 911 call, more than a dozen fire trucks still surrounded the block. A web of hoses sprayed water on the smoking ruins as firefighters continued to watch and fight the flames from the ground, from balconies and from a ladder truck.