3-Alarm Fire Damages 2 Homes In Wildwood Crest
WILDWOOD CREST, NJ (CBS) -- An explosive fire in New Jersey, Sunday afternoon, was captured on cell phone video by beach goers all over Wildwood Crest.
"I was over at my in-laws house over there and I saw smoke," said Chuck Dahmer of Wildwood Crest.
Dahmer was one of the first people to spot the billowing black smoke coming out of two homes along Park Blvd, around 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
Immediately Dahmer sprung into action.
"I went downstairs open up the sliding glass door and there was a lady standing there I told her at 'Your house is on fire, get out'," added Dahmer.
Dahmer broke down the door to the second home, made sure everyone was out of that house too.
Then, firefighters arrived and took it from there as the blaze began to quickly get out of control.
"That was propane tanks in the rear deck and in between the two buildings there's air conditioning unit condenser's that exploded," Chief Ron Harwood of the Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire department.
Firefighters believe the flames first sparked somewhere between the two homes where the air conditioning unit condenser was.
"It was so intense that if the wind was blowing the right way this whole block would've been gone. I'm lucky my house is standing," said Jim Costigan of Wildwood.
Costigan owns the house next to the two that burned.
His has some damage to the exterior from the heat of the flames, but Costigan is not focused on that.
He's grateful for the effort put forth by about 100 firefighters, from 7 departments. All who made sure no one was hurt in Sunday's beach front blaze that burned for hours and could be seen for miles.
The damage after the fire here, is extensive fire officials say both homes will have to be knocked down and rebuilt. Fire marshals don't believe the fire is suspicious, but still have no official cause.
