A fast moving fire raged through two New Jersey beach towns on Thursday, reducing dozens of business along the boardwalk to rubble, Reuters reported. Flames erupted at a frozen custard stand in Seaside Park on Thursday afternoon, and blazed out of control for hours.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire, and have yet given a specific estimate of how many businesses were damaged.
"It's piles of rubble, it's piles of just char and debris, caved-in buildings with no walls and no roofs. It just looks like a bomb went off," Brian Gabriel, chief fire coordinator for Ocean County said.
About 100 firefighters remained on the scene Friday in hopes of completely putting out the fire.
The blaze affected business six blocks on the New Jersey boardwalk in Seaside Park and Seaside Heights, communities which were also badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy last year.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency on Thursday after surveying the damage.
Officials Friday urged people to stay away from those neighborhoods, as inspectors and fire crew continue quelling the fires.
"It's unimaginable," said Seaside Park city councilwoman Gail Coleman. "It's heart-wrenching. All of these businesses borrowed money, rebuilt with a lot of blood, sweat, tears and hope."
Superstorm Sandy's estimated damage cost about $37 billion, making it the second costliest storm in U.S. history after Hurricane Katrina.
