By Maryann Spoto
Newark Star-Ledger (New Jersey)
Copyright 2007 Newark Morning Ledger Co.
All Rights Reserved
 PHOTO/KEVIN SKOCHIL, MTFD |
SEA BRIGHT, N.J. — A woman was extensively burned and at least two firefighters hurt yesterday when a stubborn, wind-fueled fire destroyed half a condominium complex in Sea Bright.
Close to 500 firefighters from more than 10 fire companies fought the fire at the Fountains on Ocean Avenue for hours in the numbing cold.
One of the two buildings in the complex was destroyed, leaving an estimated 60 people homeless, said Sea Bright Mayor Jo-Ann Kalaka Adams, who owns a rental unit in that building.
The fire started around 5:30 a.m. and burned until early afternoon, turning the fire scene into a glittering icy tundra as spraying water froze. Firefighters in an aerial bucket came down coated with ice, resembling human ice sculptures.
Hot spots were still popping up in units into the afternoon, keeping firefighters on the scene and Route 36 in that area closed for hours.
With temperatures only around 9 degrees yesterday morning and winds of 20 mph or greater, firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze in shifts, heading off periodically to warming tents set up with special heaters.
As of late yesterday, the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but it was believed to have started in the home of the woman, said Harry Conover, director of emergency management for Monmouth County.
The woman, whose name was being withheld pending notification of her next of kin, was airlifted to Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, where hospital spokeswoman Robin Lally last night said she was in critical condition.
The scene at the fire early yesterday was chaotic. Neighbors opened their doors to freezing residents - some of whom were dressed only in their pajamas - and their pets. The Associated Humane Society arrived with bowls and food for the homeless animals.
Sea Bright police officers shuttled residents down the road to borough hall, which served as a makeshift emergency shelter. The American Red Cross was at the scene to help with relocation. Neighbors also provided hot meals for the emergency workers.
“What I saw . . . was a community that just completely wrapped around a tragedy,” Conover said.
 PHOTO/KEVIN SKOCHIL, MTFD |
Kalaka Adams said 16 units burned and another 16 were badly damaged in one building. In the second building, which was not touched by the flames, another 32 units sustained smoke damage, she said.
She called the freezing temperatures “brutal.”
“The wind, the ice and the cold basically hampered things,” she said.
Kalaka Adams also said the damage could have been worse but for the quick response of police, fire and first aid personnel, who knocked on doors of the units and helped evacuate residents. She estimated about 60 residents have been displaced.
“It’s very emotional,” she said. “A lot of people lost everything.”
Conover said two firefighters were treated at a hospital for minor injuries and later released.
The mayor said one of those injured was Lt. Joe Eskridge, who burned his ears while rescuing the injured woman.
Kalaka Adams’ condo, meanwhile, which she rents out for investment purposes, was destroyed.
“I’m really more concerned about the residents and the people who have been displaced,” she said.